MHS Social Worker Recognized as an Emerging Latino Leader in Pennsylvania

In a Middle Division office filled with meaningful reminders of heritage, culture, and connection, TaLisa Ramos helps students navigate one of the most important journeys of their lives: discovering who they are.

As a Milton Hershey School Social Worker, Ramos spends her days listening, encouraging, and helping students build confidence in themselves and their futures. Her work is rooted in a belief that every young person deserves to feel seen.

Her impact extends far beyond her role at MHS, earning her statewide recognition. She was selected as part of the inaugural class of the Pennsylvania Latino Convention’s 20 Under 40 Emerging Latino Leaders, which recognizes Latino professionals making meaningful contributions to their communities and industries.

Ramos is a nationally sought speaker, facilitator, and consultant who partners with schools, colleges, and community organizations on topics including cultural identity, belonging, leadership, and mental health. She is also deeply involved in preserving and sharing Puerto Rican culture through education and community engagement.

For Ramos, however, the recognition is not what motivates her.

“I feel like I’m just living my purpose,” she said.

Purpose has been a constant theme throughout her life and career.

Raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, and the first in her family to earn a college degree, Ramos understands the importance of opportunity and belonging. Her own journey mirrors many of the challenges and aspirations of the students she serves, helping shape both her perspective and her purpose.

That sense of purpose guided a career spanning clinical social work, higher education, and public service. After working in psychiatry, therapy, hospital social work, and crisis assessment, she moved into leadership roles at Penn State, Millersville University, and later the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, where she served as the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Education and as Special Assistant for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Despite the opportunity to create change on a larger scale, Ramos found herself missing direct work with young people.

“I missed getting my hands dirty,” she said. “I missed sitting with the kids.”

That desire ultimately brought her to MHS, where she found a mission that closely matched her own values.

Today, she works with Middle Division students during a critical period of growth and self-discovery. While social workers often help students navigate challenges, Ramos sees an even broader responsibility: helping young people understand their strengths while embracing their identities.

Ramos and fellow Middle Division Social Worker Anna Pistory co-facilitate La Mariposa, a young women’s empowerment group where students of all cultural backgrounds explore topics such as self-confidence, leadership, healthy relationships, identity, and personal growth.

Ramos often incorporates cultural awareness into the way she supports students. She believes culture and identity are inseparable from overall well-being and that students thrive when they feel empowered to be their authentic selves.

“When students come to us, they come as their whole selves,” she said. “That includes their identity. It includes their culture.”

Beyond her speaking and facilitation work, Ramos is passionate about preserving and sharing Puerto Rican culture. She has dedicated herself to studying Bomba, one of Puerto Rico’s oldest styles of music, and helps others connect with its history through workshops, educational programming, and community events.

Whether she is preserving culture in her community, speaking to audiences across the country, leading conversations through La Mariposa, or supporting Middle Division students, she remains focused on helping others discover who they are and where they belong.

“Spartan Fame is our Spartans living in their purpose,” she said, referring to the 2026-27 school year theme. “Not just surviving, but thriving.”