Specially Funded Programs

Mark Ramos is the Indigenous Outreach and Support Manager at SFCC. Mark is a member of the Coeur D’ Alene tribe of Idaho. He has tribal heritage with the Colville and Spokane of Washington, Flathead of Montana, and the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Cree of North Dakota. Before coming to SFCC, he worked at SCC as a Workforce Program Specialist helping students to succeed in the GED, High School Plus, Career Transitions, College Prep, and Special Trade Professions programs. Mark served in the US Army and US Coast Guard and is a Disabled Veteran. He graduated from SCC in Natural Resources in 1995, and Liberal Arts in 2003. Later, he graduated from Gonzaga University with a Master’s in Organizational Leadership in 2017. Lastly, he graduated from SFCC in Business Management in 2022. He states, “It is never too late to pursue your higher education. If I can do it anyone can if they put their heart and mind into their classes.”

His role as IOSM is to connect with high schools and higher education departments to recruit and assist Native Americans (NA) in the enrollment process to become SFCC students. He connects students with on-campus programs such as food pantry, tutoring, and student clubs to name a few that are available for the benefit and welfare of the students. He is an active member of the NA Red Nations Club that is available to all students who would like to be a member. He enjoys networking with tribes, tribal organizations, and non-tribal programs to provide a vast array of community resources that can make life easier for the students and their families.

He understands the challenges that students face after the many years he endued in college and is here to help students to complete their degrees successfully. “Always remember who you are and where you come from, to honor our ancestors for the sacrifices they made for us to persevere, and to give thanks to the Creator for all that is provided for us in the good and bad times. Lem Letch thank you.”

My love for the Adult Basic Education world began in 1997 when I was an Americorps Volunteer with Rural Resources in Colville.  I served as the Literacy Coordinator, where my main role was to write curricula for, and teach ABE classes to students seeking their GED.  While my role only lasted one year, my passion for serving that population of students never disappeared.  Over the next few years, I held positions at Mental Health agencies, Department of Social & Health Services, and Eastern Washington University, where I continued to serve similar populations in slightly different ways.  More recently, I worked at SFCC as a Workforce Program Coordinator, where I was able to support students in poverty with funding and navigation of the culture of academia.  Last fall when the opportunity arose to return to the ABE world as a Workforce Program Coordinator, I knew it was time to return ‘home’.  I began working at the Monroe Adult Education Center in November of 2020, am very pleased to be serving this population of Adult Basic Education students once again.