ashlynnicoleramirez

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Tips for Hosting Guests in Small Spaces

Last year, I got to stay in the coolest Airbnb. It was a small, cozy cabin––sitting near a zoo, a quaint town, and a vast lake. That staycation has stayed with me well for the past year. It’s the inspiration for this post. Welcoming overnight guests doesn’t require a guest suite or a redesign. Even when hosting in a small home or apartment, thoughtful preparation can create a cozy, relaxed space…

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Repotting Roots, Reshaping Stories 🌱✍️

Repotting plants this morning has me thinking about the work of crafting a story. Two were propagated, and two were replanted. That means new stories were created through tiny green succulent leaves, while others started a new chapter, in a new home, rising slowly from a drastic cliffhanger.One has root rot, so I had to take special care to cut off the dead roots without damaging the structure.…

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The Art of Makeup: Blending Beauty and Storytelling

Putting on makeup feels far more tedious than writing. I enjoy it. Unfortunately, I’m not especially good at it. It remains a hobby, more than a craft. Still, makeup is a lot like writing a story. It moves in chapters, with parts that blend into one another through quiet transitions. Think about every layer of mascara like the climax of a book you can’t seem to put down or look away. The…

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Overcoming Challenges as a First-Generation Hispanic Student

I start my mornings early, but my problems with technology begin even sooner. Sometimes, I open and close my laptop and restart it because I cannot get the internet to cooperate with me. I run to restart the router. Luckily, I get on my cellphone to finish my call to my Chair. The baby is now crying, and usually I would want to cry too. But this is something I am used to, and I’m too busy taking…

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Embracing the Cold Plunge: A Journey of Transformation

Sometimes I hold my breath until it hurts. And then everything in my vision is shaking. But the shake isn’t fear, per se. There are moments of anticipation that run through your veins like ice-cold rain—moments when you take the plunge, not because it’s comfortable, but because you want the result badly enough to face the shock. The shock burns cold, tightening my body as I submerged myself for…

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Bridging the Digital Divide with Servant Leadership

73% of students report that lack of support from their educators is a significant barrier to their success in online courses. This statistic indicates a crucial gap in the education system—one that can be addressed through servant leadership.  Introduction:Servant leadership has emerged as a powerful strategy in education for ensuring that all students, particularly those from underserved…

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Empowering Teams through Authentic Leadership

Introduction Leadership isn’t about holding a title in today’s rapidly changing workplace; it’s about influencing, motivating, and empowering others (Reed & Klutts, 2019). While many leadership models are presented as stand-alone solutions, the reality is that no single style works in every situation. The most successful leaders take a blended approach — combining elements of servant…

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Empathy-Driven Leadership in Education

Written in 2023, expanded in 2025 Being a leader in education doesn’t often come with a personal handbook. Or if it does, it’s outdated; ill-equipped for the complexities of 21st-century classrooms and communities. As we continue to confront widening disparities in educational access, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, one truth becomes clear: effective leadership isn’t just about…

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Finding Purpose in Writing: My Digital Corner

In 2019, I bought my first domain. It wasn’t for my business, a brand, or even a blog that was ready for the world. I just knew I needed a space that was mine. I needed a blank slate that I could shape entirely on my own terms. I already had a marketing portfolio. But this was different. It was a place to process, to reflect, to write what I wanted without worrying about SEO or structure—a place…

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Surviving Economic Slowdowns: Tips for Job Seekers

The U.S. economy added just 33,000 jobs in July 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s a drastic drop from June’s revised total of 194,000 jobs. For context, economists expected around 175,000 new jobs. We fell significantly short. July’s report signals a broader slowdown in job growth. While one month doesn’t define a trend, many professionals are understandably anxious. When…

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Ending the week with some more philosophy from Jürgen Habermas- “What makes communicative reason possible is the linguistic medium through which interactions are woven together, and forms of life are structured."

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I absolutely loved putting together this little free write – I hope some can find time to read it! It's not a long read. Happy Thursday! #TimeDoesNotStop #Millennials #Idiocracy #PedagogyOfTheOppressed

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I wrote this post for one of my class discussions awhile back (shout out MTHD 817 and Dr. Chaloupka! for the awesome reads!). It's about #CodinginEducation, #Philosophy, and the use of #AIinEducation.

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Navigating Multilingual Identity in America

I admit that it hurts a little—but not entirely—to understand a Spanish meme on Twitter or Instagram. I don’t use a Spanish keyboard on my iPhone. And try talking to other fluent Spanish speakers with Google Translate. I can’t compete. In short, I probably understand about 30 percent of what’s said to me, and that’s being generous. I religiously use subtitles when watching Narcos: Mexico. To say…

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Good morning everyone. I'm hitting the ground running this Monday! My website is going to be updated every day this week instead of the LinkedIn inspirational posts. Thank you for reading.

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The Evolution of Investigative Journalism: Ian Urbina's Journey

Written in 2017 In 2003, Ian Urbina, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, abandoned his doctoral dissertation after completing a small journalism internship with an investigative reporter, which gave him a taste of reporting. That taste landed him a job at one of the largest news media outlets in the US, a handful of awards, and a few investigative pieces that were turned into…

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Understanding Justice Through Tradition and Visibility

By Ashlyn N. Ramirez “Justice is possible without a knowledge of God’s Law.” — Alasdair MacIntyre“Struggles for recognition occur in a world of exacerbated material inequality.” — Nancy Fraser We like to think justice is simple. Fair. Earned. But what if the systems we rely on to define justice were never built for everyone in the first place? In my studies, I found myself pulled between two…