Yasmin Ramirez, Instructor and Author, Receives National and Regional Accolades

El Paso, Texas, February 22, 2024 – Yasmin Ramirez, Associate Professor of English at El Paso Community College (EPCC) has received two distinguished awards this week for her work with online students and as the author of ¡Ándale, Prieta!

Ms. Ramirez received the 2023 Award for Excellence in eLearning – Outstanding Distance Educator or Staff Member – South Central Region from the Instructional Technology Council (ITC). She has not only influenced student success in her classes, but has gone above and beyond for her English faculty colleagues. She has developed numerous courses for online instruction and these shells are shared with those teaching these sections. The course shells offer a road map for new faculty and increase consistency between faculty members.

“Her continuous dedication to improving distance education at the institution is vital to student success,” Daniel Guerra, EPCC Dean of Communication and Fine Arts at the Valle Verde campus said. “I look forward to Yasmin having more opportunities to increase the level of online instruction for her department.”

Ramirez’ interest in technology and incorporating platforms and tools translates into how she approaches distance education. While many believe this type of learning is isolating, there are so many incredible tools to help facilitate connectivity. These tools often allow for stronger faculty/student relationships because it transcends a traditional classroom.

“Distance learning allows anyone to become a student. That is magic,” Ramirez said. “I love distance education because it allows me to connect with students from any place anywhere.”

Ms. Ramirez has also been recognized again for her award-winning book, ¡Ándale, Prieta! with the 2023 Southwest Book Award from the Border Regional Library Association. Since 1971, the Southwest Book Awards have been presented in recognition of outstanding books about the Southwest published each year in any genre (e.g. fiction, nonfiction, reference) and directed toward any audience (scholarly, popular, children).

The novel previously received a silver medal at the International Latino Book Awards from Empowering Latino Futures, a California-based nonprofit organization with a mission to remove barriers to success and recognize greatness in various fields for Hispanics and other underserved communities.