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Published May 7, 2026
By Darlene Muguiro
¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ College of Health Sciences

This May, five CHS students will serve in honorific roles at the Spring 2026 commencement ceremony at the Don Haskins Center. These students were selected for their positions based on academic achievement, extracurricular participation, and community and University service. Our final story features Kimberley Ramirez, Graduate School Banner Bearer for the College of Health Sciences.

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Kimberley Ramirez, a candidate for the Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology degree, says that her ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ journey has been shaped by perseverance, community, and a deep belief in the transformative power of education. Ramirez, a single mother, is the first in her family to complete high school, as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees. She learned the value of hard work and responsibility from her grandmother, who helped raise her, and decided that she wanted to pursue higher education to not only transform her life, but also to break generational barriers for her own children.

Throughout her time at ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ, Kimberley balanced her academics with service as an officer and vice-president of the ¶¶Òõ¶ÌÊÓƵ chapter of the National Student Speech-Language Hearing Association, as well meaningful extracurricular activities, including a summer study abroad in Spain and the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Science’s competitive summer research exchange with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. There, Kimberley worked with renowned researchers and deepened her understanding of early language and literacy interventions for children at risk for language delays. The pinnacle of her research experience happened last fall, when she presented her thesis research on the impact of gender-affirming communication services on life satisfaction at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association convention.

“Presenting this work allowed me to share findings with clinicians and researchers from across the country while contributing to conversations about culturally responsive and identity-affirming care in speech-language pathology,” she said. “This experience strengthened my confidence as a developing scholar and reinforced the importance of research in improving clinical practice.”

After graduation, Kimberley aspires to begin working in the region as a bilingual speech-language pathologist, and will focus her practice on individuals with neurogenic communication disorders and individuals facing barriers to accessing specialized care. In the future, she intends to continue studying and pursue a doctoral degree, and also hopes to establish a free community space for individuals with disabilities to participate in meaningful activities.

"Creating such a space would provide opportunities for connection and engagement while also offering families and caregivers much-needed relief from the daily demands of caregiving," she said. "Through education, service, and advocacy, I hope to continue contributing to the well-being and inclusion of individuals and families in the community that shaped my journey."

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Go Miners!