Sometimes, when you think you have everything figured out, life has an unexpected way of changing course. Rebecca Ramos set out to be a nurse but found herself trading in her textbooks for a classroom full of students who needed her heart, patience and unwavering consistency. 

“I knew from a young age that I wanted to help others; that was always big to me,” she said. “When I started working as a paraprofessional, they paired me with a high-needs student who a lot of teachers were afraid to work with because he would become aggressive. But I felt he was crying out for help and just wanted to connect with somebody. When I saw the difference I could make with him, I changed my degree plan to education.”  

That choice eventually led her to Harris County Department of Education (HCDE), where she’s spent the past five years making a difference at Academic and Behavioral School (ABS) East, one student at a time. Ramos started as a life skills teacher before becoming a transition specialist who bridges campus staff with more than 30 partner districts across Harris County. She executes the role flawlessly, even in challenging times, which earned her HCDE’s October Employee of the Month title.  

“I can go to Rebecca at any time, day or night, via email, phone call or in her office to ask her questions,” ABS East Principal Mercedes Love said. “She is always willing to help and has been a phenomenal asset to our districts. She is the most giving person I’ve ever met in all the years I’ve been in education.” 

Ramos supports family orientations, manages individualized education programs (IEPs), collaborates with district contacts and ensures teachers and students have what they need to succeed.  

“I wear many hats,” Ramos laughed. “I collaborate a lot with the districts, and I’ve built really good relationships with their directors and points of contact. I love the variety in what I do because no two days are the same. It keeps me connected to our students and partners.”  

Last year, she was tasked with carrying the weight of the position alone after a colleague transferred districts. Paperwork deadlines, communicating IEP changes to families, facilitating meetings between educators and district representatives, and more all fell on Ramos. Instead of buckling under pressure, she developed new processes and procedures to streamline communication and workflow between ABS East administrators, teachers and school districts.  

“Rebecca is the ‘Queen of IEPs’ on this campus,” Love said. “We can’t have students on campus without IEPs, and she ensures we have everything we need before students step off the bus. She met with me three or four times daily to keep me abreast of everything going on with the districts we were serving at that time. She really contributed to the level of success that we’ve had on our campus.” 

Nicholas Hearing, who recently joined the campus as a second transition specialist, echoed the sentiments, calling Ramos the “Wonder Woman of the campus.”  

“I’m not even saying that jokingly, she is an absolute joy to work with and a library of knowledge,” he smiled. “Anybody who can take on that title all by herself – kudos to you. Her soul is worth her weight in gold. She’s amazing.” 

Hearing recently transitioned from the classroom to administrative responsibilities and has found the work rewarding and challenging. He’s spent the first few weeks of the semester absorbing as much knowledge as possible from Ramos and observing how to serve students and families best.  

“Rebecca is helping me learn the laws behind everything,” Hearing said. “We go over what documents I need to stay in compliance and how much time I need to wait before I turn something in. I’m trying to be a sponge and soak in everything because she knows everything about being a transition specialist.” 

Added Ramos: “Sometimes I look through my pictures and think about how much I’ve learned and grown since I started at HCDE. I’m grateful to have had great administration and campus leaders who have seen things I didn’t see in myself. I never in a million years thought people would be asking me, ‘Hey, can you help me with this?’” 

Despite not being in the classroom, Ramos stays grounded in her philosophy of never giving up on her students. That’s why she chooses to learn as much as she can and make students’ transitions across campuses as smooth as possible. Because many of them have already experienced so much, she says, they deserve better.  

“My biggest thing has always been building that rapport with the students,” she described. “A student can sense when you truly care. A lot of them come to us with trauma, so in this job, you have to have a lot of heart. They see people come and go in their lives, but they need consistency and reassurance.”  

One of her favorite traditions at ABS East is the “clap out,” where educators line the halls and celebrate students who can transition back to their home districts. It’s a reminder that no matter the challenges or the amount of paperwork, she positively impacts the lives of children. It’s also a humbling affirmation that those unexpected turns led her exactly where she was meant to be.  

“It makes the job all worthwhile,” Ramos smiled. “They come here to be loved on, cared for and fed positive vibes into their life, and when you see them return to their campus after everything they’ve overcome at East, it’s truly amazing. I’m grateful to have played even the smallest role in their journey.”