Race to 100 Alumni

Edith Estrella Ramos 

Liberal Arts Major
KCC Class of 2009
Current Title/Profession: Site Director and Supervisor at Montefiore Clinical Support Program (Bronx, NYC) 

Nominated by: Mary Dawson 

Edith Estrella Ramos came to the United States from the Dominican Republic and as a first-generation college student and had limited knowledge of the higher education landscape when she first began her journey. Her path from student to clinical leaders runs directly through Kingsborough Community College, and today she serves as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Site Director of the Montefiore Clinical Support Program’s Bronx location, where she provides substance abuse and mental health services for underserved communities. 

Edith graduated from KCC in 2009 with a degree in Liberal Arts. She went on to earn a B.S. in Psychology from Smith College, a M.S.W. from Hunter College, and an Advanced Certificate from Brooklyn College, but it was her years at Kingsborough, she says, that laid the foundation for everything that followed. “KCC always has a special place in my heart,” she said. “I got so much support, and it launched me to my career now.” Exposure to the Salzburg global exchange program, leadership seminars, and civic engagement initiatives broadened her worldview at a formative stage. Participation in the honors society, where she eventually served as president and regional secretary, instilled in her the confidence and sense of civic duty she brings to her work today. 

As a first-generation student, Edith had never heard of Smith College before Kingsborough introduced her to it. A scholarship through Smith took her to Argentina, where she volunteered at a group foster home, and this provided her first encounter with the child welfare system. The experience as a whole sparked a calling within her. She returned to New York and enrolled in a city-run program to train child welfare workers, spending two years placed in local agencies. A mental health clinic internship during her master’s program led to full-time employment, and subsequent specialized training in play therapy expanded her clinical practice. 

Now working at the intersection of mental health and substance abuse treatment, Edith is driven by a recognition that seeking professional support remains stigmatized in many immigrant and underrepresented communities. She explains, “In our communities, it’s hard to come to terms with and get mental health support. It’s important to get help from the ground up.” 

For students still navigating their own paths, Edith offers the following words of advice: “You must enter the door yourself. Be willing to enter those spaces, find those opportunities, and take them.” Her continued engagement with KCC as an alumna reflects a philosophy she describes as closing the loop. “I have to honor the gift that was given to me,” she said. “KCC gave me a really great gift.”