Kaitlyn Ramos hopes to be a bridge between Catholic schools and the Latino community in the Archdiocese of Baltimore.
The new coordinator of Latino enrollment and outreach for Catholic schools of the archdiocese is the first to serve in the newly created position. She began her service July 1.
“Hispanic ministry and the Latino community are thriving around Maryland, and Catholic schools are and have been the connection between the two,” said Ramos, who speaks English and Spanish and has a basic understanding of Italian.
Born in Maryland, Ramos earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education in 2014 from Loyola University Maryland in Baltimore. Two years later, she received a master’s degree in educational curriculum and instruction from Boston College and a post-master’s certificate in leadership and supervision from Notre Dame of Maryland University in Baltimore.
Her teaching experience includes six years at Archbishop Borders School in Highlandtown, the only bilingual elementary school in the archdiocese. She is a former volunteer for three summers in Ecuador and has studied in Rome. She also has been to Spain and Puerto Rico.
In her new role, Ramos is working with Lia Garcia, archdiocesan director of Hispanic Ministry, who has connected her with the various church communities in the archdiocese and the state.
“We are going to start with pilot schools or focus schools, where there are openings in the school, and there’s a Hispanic population nearby, either at the local parish or in the community,” she said.
Ramos, 33, also hopes to participate in community events and address parishioners after Masses to promote Catholic education. She will be translating materials and developing relationships within the various communities “to gain trust and to teach people about the opportunities that Catholic schools provide and to teach people that their child is welcome and can go to Catholic school,” Ramos said.
She noted that school leaders can’t expect people to come knocking on the door, especially because in many Latin-American countries, “Catholic schools are for the wealthiest population or for only a certain population.”
Ramos will be involved in supporting families in the process of enrollment, tuition and applying for financial aid.
“We get professional development from Boston College and the University of Notre Dame,” she said. “They are at the forefront of research and resources around enrolling and engaging the Hispanic community, so I’m going to tap into the connections and the resources from those two universities. There’s also a network of people in my new role around the country. I’m pretty connected with them to see what they did first and then what that might lead down the road.”
It is initially expected that five to seven pilot schools will be established, where a strategic plan aimed at increasing Hispanic student enrollment will be implemented, taking into account that these institutions have available slots and are near Hispanic communities.
Ramos said Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Baltimore celebrate diversity and welcome students from all faiths and ethnic backgrounds.
“While speaking English is not a requirement for enrollment, each applicant is assessed based on their individual needs and the school’s available resources and staffing to ensure they receive the support they need to succeed,” she said.
In the 2023-24 school year, Archdiocese of Baltimore Catholic schools had 816 Hispanic students out of a total of 14,000 students, which corresponds to 5.8 percent.
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