Former Westside High School student Cierra Ramirez recently made her way onto the big screen when her debut performance, Girl in Progress hit movie theatres Mother’s Day weekend and was named one of the top ten films of the week.

            A native Houstonian, Ramirez relocated to LA to pursue her acting career when she landed a role on ABC family’s hit show The Secret Life of the American Teenager after casting director Peter Pappas saw a screening of Girl In Progress this spring.

            “I play Kathy, an incoming freshmen who is actually six months pregnant,” Cierra said.  “But I plan to give my baby up for adoption.  I’m really excited to kind of see how that all lays out, especially considering Amy kept hers and what that might mean for my character.”

            Ramirez said she always knew she loved to perform, but she never thought acting would take her this far.

            “Originally I got into performing through singing, I had never really thought about acting before,” Ramirez said. “I was always putting on little skits for my little sister, for any relatives or friends that came over to our house and I never took it seriously until I was given the opportunity to act in LA. Once I got an agent it just took off from there.”

            After making appearances on hit shows like CSI: Miami, Desperate Housewives and Disney Channel’s The Suite Life of Zach and Cody Ramirez took a break from acting to experience her first two years of high school away from the industry.

            “The first two years of high school my parents wanted to keep me grounded,” Ramirez said. “Over everything school is most important in my family.” 

            Ramirez said during that time she auditioned for roles via video so that her family could avoid leaving Houston.

            “That was really nice because I could still concentrate on school and still kind of live out my dream,” Ramirez said.

            After one audition she made via skype in early 2011, Ramirez was flown to LA to meet in person with director Patricia Riggen where she landed the starring role, allowing her to work and perform alongside Hollywood legacies Eva Mendez, Patricia Arquette and Mathew Modine.

            “What really helped was all of the cast and crew and especially the director Patricia Riggen. We kind of went through a whole process where I broke down the character and I made her what she is today,” Ramirez said. “That really helped calm my nerves because I became this character and that feeling took over everything. “

            After landing the role, Ramirez was told she would have to say goodbye to her family and friends in a matter of days.

            “I don’t remember the exact date but I know my last day in Texas was one of the days I spent at the rodeo,” Ramirez recalled. “I had just found out the news that I needed to move, and so it wasn’t like I had time to kind of soak it all in.  It was kind of bittersweet because I was really excited about what was going to happen but I was really sad about what I was going to leave behind.”

            Ramirez plays 13-year old Ansiedad, Mendezs’ neglected daughter who seeks out her own adulthood through rebellious efforts that mainly are to gain her mother’s love and affection.

            “It’s weird to come across a character that offers so many different roles in one,” Ramirez said. “That whole process of good girl to bad girl was really cool and it was just a great experience that I learned so much from.”

            Ramirez said her costar and on-screen mother Eva Mendez was a guiding light for her during filming.

            “Going into it, I kind of thought I knew what I was doing but then when I landed in Vancouver I realized I had no idea what I was doing,” Ramirez said. “It finally set in then. Eva and I bonded right away though and she taught me so much. She is just as beautiful as she is on the outside as she is in.”

            After filming for 22 days in Vancouver, Ramirez said the only bad part of being on set was having to leave.

            “It didn’t feel like work to me,” Ramirez said. “Then again it was my first movie so it was kind of like my baby -I didn’t want to let it go.”

            Director Patricia Riggen shared her opinion of Ramirezs’ performance in a recent interview.

             "I think it's a breakout role," she said. "I think we're discovering a really hugely talented actress, and she's from right here in Houston."

            Ramirez is eager to continue working on set as the newest member of Secret Life, and says she is thankful for the welcoming set of cast and crew members.

            “They are showing season four right now, and I am on starting with season five,” Ramirez said.  “It’s been a great experience so far and I can’t wait to see what happens to my character.”

            Now that she is living full time in LA, Ramirez is being homeschooled and remains in contact with some of her previous teachers to balance her schoolwork and career.

            “It’s different from anything I’ve ever done because I’ve been in public school my whole life,” Ramirez said. “Definitely a big transition…but I’m learning.”

            Ramirez said when it comes to her future, a proportioned balance of acting and singing would be ideal. Oh, and let’s not forget producing too.

            “In the future I would love to have that balance of both of them (singing and acting) because I can’t pick -they are both so fun,” Ramirez laughed. “But I would really love to start producing- I like being the boss of things, so I think I would have a lot of fun with that job.”

            If you asked for her honest opinion, Ramirez would say her new- found fame has not influenced her perception of herself. In her mind, she is still just another girl from Texas with big dreams.

            “I don’t even consider myself famous,” Ramirez said. “Some people recognize me which throws me off guard because I’ve never had that before. It doesn’t happen very often, but when it does happen it is the best feeling ever.”