Finding Joy in Public Service: Belia Ramos '99

Some days Belia Ramos '99 has to pinch herself just to make sure her life isn't a dream. She's been serving since January on the Napa County Board of Supervisors, and she couldn't be happier.

"I get paid to do what I love to do," she said. "How awesome is that?"

Ramos grew up in Napa's St. Helena, and was the first in her family to go to college. After graduating, she worked for California Rep. Mike Thompson for two years before earning a law degree at the University of California's Hastings College of Law. She then practiced as a civil litigator and went on to found her company Raise the Bar, which helps clients prepare for the bar exam. Now, in addition to her board duties, she teaches writing at UC Davis' School of Law.

Ramos sees the shift from practicing attorney to elected official as more like a homecoming than a new career: During her stint with Thompson, she helped reunite refugees with their families, traveling everywhere from local cities to more exotic locales like Malaysia and Cuba.

"The work with refugees was so meaningful for me," she said. "It helped me realize that I loved the public service sphere."

But the reality of student debt led her to join a San Francisco law firm, where Ramos toiled until one day, her father urged her to revisit her passion.

"My dad reminded me that he and my mom hadn't worked as hard as they did to put me through school so that I could turn around and work harder," she said.

In 2010 Ramos secured a spot on the American Canyon City Council—a position she filled until 2016. In June 2016, she was elected to the Napa County Board of Supervisors.

She takes her job seriously, but also with joy.

"Being on the board is a privilege, not a right—and I have to earn that privilege every day," she said. "It's a pleasure to truly give back to the place that has shaped me."