Juan Ramos shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Juan , we’re so happy to have you here with us and we’d love to explore your story and how you think about life and legacy and so much more. So let’s start with a question we often ask: What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
Honestly I can do nothing without God almighty!! No matter what is going on the first 90-120 minutes of my office time is spent on my knees in prayer, in reading the Bible or reading a book by Christian authors that are now gone but have left behind such a treasure of biblical wisdom and knowledge.
This focuses my day and allows me to feel empowered and ready for whatever will come.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Juan Ramos, I am the Executive Director and Founder of R3 Student Outreach. R3 Student Outreach provides opportunities, resources and space for youth and young adults to excel in their personal development & academic pursuits. We exist too: Revitalize the youth of our city, renew hope, confidence and direction and restore worth, dignity and identity to the individual. We opened in 2019 almost 6 1/2 years ago! We are looking forward to fully completing our 7 years. As of this year we serve youth in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston.
Appreciate your sharing that. Let’s talk about your life, growing up and some of topics and learnings around that. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
I would say that this year as “a moment” has really shaped how I have begun to see everything. This has been one of the hardest and most challenging years of my entire life. Through every challenge this year, I thought to myself “How can this get any worse” and “How am I going to get through this?”. And guess what, it got worse, but I did get through it.
I used to pray for God to protect me from problems and difficulty or if there was any way to bring me AROUND or take me OUT of the problem. But I learned that without those challenges, we cannot grow. Without those hardships, we cannot mature. Without the difficulty, we cannot know that God truly is the God of His Word. It has made me rely and see God in a different way, which has made me see the world and its challenges in a different way.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
ALWAYS! ALWAYS! I can tell you at least once a year I come to a place of seriously wanted to shut this all down or pass it on to someone else to take forward. This year it was about once a month! But – our motto is “Don’t quit now!” which is about ENDURANCE and COMMITMENT. And first and foremost, I have made a commitment to God to do this. And secondly, our team has made a commitment to our youth to do this. So, while I may WANT to quit – I can’t and I won’t.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
Absolutely. I do not like there to be a difference between who people see on social media, or at events from the person they will find in the day to day work. I want my character to be one of consistency and honesty. Pretty much, what you see is what you get!
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
Yes. I can answer this honestly because this is exactly what is happening now. Every day we give 130%. Everyday. And while youll get some hearts and likes on Facebook and some comments here and there, there is no praise in this work. There is nothing fancy or boujee about this work. Because this work isn’t about that. It’s about serving and it’s about consistency. And in those types of positions, you are often not going to be recognized. We are not like other nonprofits that get awards, or get big partnerships or large grants. But what we do carry is Gods favor, and what we do, do, is change lives each and every week.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://r3student.org
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/r3student
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/79902383
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/r3student
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@r3student
