Title: Wellness Director, Mental Performance Coach
Company: Mission Success of Houston
Education: MA in Sport and Performance Psychology, University of St. Thomas (TX) (2023); Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology, Oakland City University (2022); Associate Degree in Business, Oakland City University
Career History: Wellness Director, Mental Performance Coach, Mission Success of Houston (2024-Present); Mental Performance Coach, Mission Success of Houston (2023-2024); Resident Assistant, University of St. Thomas (2022-2024); Intern, Valor Performance, Inc. (2023); Resident Hall Director, Oakland City University (2021-2022); Virtual Mentor Tutor, TRIO, Upward Bound Program (2020-2021); Director of Activities, TRIO, Upward Bound (2021); Outreach and Community Engagement Intern, Leadership Everyone Inc. (2021)
Sarita Ardila Ramirez, Wellness Director and Mental Performance Coach at Mission Success of Houston, has been recognized as a Marquis Emerging Leader for their contributions and achievements in the field of mental health services.
An athlete across multiple sports growing up, Ms. Ramirez utilizes her own experience in her psychology-based role at Mission Success, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of economically disadvantaged youth in Houston where she’s excelled since joining in 2023. In this capacity, she introduces basic mental skills to athletes and other performance-based professionals and develops a comprehensive wellness program addressing mental health, performance, nutrition, and physical health—in addition to introducing these practices to underserved young athletes.
Born and raised in Colombia, Ms. Ramirez prepared for her profession by attaining a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 2022 from Oakland City University and a Master of Arts in sport and performance psychology from the University of St. Thomas in 2023, as well as several related certifications. While studying, she also gained experience in the field as an outreach and community engagement intern at Leadership Everyone Inc., the director of activities and virtual mentor tutor with the Upward Bound educational program, and an intern at Valor Performance, Inc., a leadership and performance mindset coaching platform that was beneficial to her career.
Ms. Ramirez considers her most notable achievement in her career to be her implementation of the new comprehensive wellness program for underserved youth. In this capacity, she conducts monthly sessions to educate youth on various wellness topics, focusing on practical skills and knowledge retention through reinforcement. She collaborates with external professionals, such as sports nutritionists and counselors, to provide a holistic approach to wellness for participants. Before her involvement, the program lacked resources for mental health and mental skills. However, her initiative led to the creation of a new program, as well as sessions on mental health and healthy relationships. She navigates her career by following four guiding principles: awareness—recognizing and understanding one’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors-; acceptance—acknowledging the current situation and one’s feelings without judgment; action—implementing a plan to improve or change circumstances; and accountability—which ensures commitment to that plan for progress.
Looking toward the future, Ms. Ramirez aims to pursue a career in sports psychology and clinical psychology by first gaining experience with her current company and eventually returning to school to earn her doctorate. She hopes to specialize in clinical sports psychology to better support athletes, as she believes that mental skills training alone is not enough and that a clinical approach is also necessary. She also aspires to provide support and services to help boost wellness programs and be background support for people in need.
In her free time, Ms. Ramirez plays in soccer and volleyball leagues—and frequently participates in open play to meet new people from different cultures and learn from them.