Ramona East

By Lizette Sta. Maria '22

Ramona East ‘18, a higher education professional who said her best advice to students is to use their transferable skills and past experiences to bring something new to the table.  

“I think that’s the key – not going into a space where you are playing into the culture of what already is, but instead wanting to make that space grow and wanting to make an impact,” East said. 

East exemplified this advice during her time at UMass Amherst. She believed that representation was vital to student success and motivation, but she didn’t find her voice in the tonality of the UMass publications at the time. 

Not wanting to disrupt the culture of The Daily Collegian or Amherst Wire, she founded The Rebirth Project, a digital publication aimed to amplify the voices of marginalized UMass students not only through traditional reporting but also through creative mediums of communication. 

East took inspiration for this project from a visit to the archive section of the library led by Professor Kathy Roberts Forde. There, she found a literary magazine called The Drum (1969-1988). East felt great awe at the level of journalism, artistry, and impact that went into each volume. She was also particularly moved by the fact that it was student-created and student-led. It was what she had envisioned for her project.

“I envisioned it satisfying a need in the department in terms of how other students of color pursuing journalism now felt like they had a space to connect and focus on all that was inspiring them at the time,” East said about The Rebirth Project.

She noted that UMass Journalism Department Chair, Brian McDermott, was a very early supporter of The Rebirth Project. McDermott and Kathy Roberts Forde are faculty members that East remembers fondly for helping her along the way. 

East complimented her journalism education with courses in Women, Gender, Sexuality Studies and Afro-American Studies. It allowed her to explore her inclination toward social justice while also learning about people through personal conversations about their individual stories. 

“Sometimes we think that those who have the most knowledge are folks that have gone on to get high-level degrees,” East said. “I’m not saying those aren’t experts, but we as people, as students, as young folks are also experts in our own experiences, and we can teach folks laterally as well as receiving information through the sense of hierarchy that we live in.” 

In 2018, East wrote, “From Chiapas to El Barrio, Connecting Global Women's Struggles.” Published in The Indypendent, the article centers around immigrant women’s fight against gentrification in their own communities. She is also an MBA candidate in Bay Path’s Entrepreneurial Thinking and Innovative Practices Program.

East considers college to be a microcosm of how the larger world operates. UMass has taught her how to meet students where they are, a valuable lesson she employs in her day-to-day responsibilities as the associate director for student engagement at Bay Path University. 

The ability to meet students where they are, allows her to better connect with them and provide them with her best resources. It is particularly relevant since Bay Path has a history of being a women’s college. Today its diverse student body also represents many first-generation college students and members of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Additionally, one transferable skill that East took away from her time within the UMass Journalism Department was the ability to pull readers in with concise writing. She uses these techniques to capture the attention of Bay Path students, who typically get an overwhelming number of emails about various student events each day.

This profile was written as a part of the 2021 Alumni Spotlight Series by students in the Writing for Public Relations course.

East is now the director of student life and engagement at Bay Path University. She is also a faculty instructor for Women as Empowered Learners and Leaders Career Development.