A native son of Maine, Samuel Ramus’ career reflects his eclectic personality with a multi-dimensional focus on teaching, marketing, and travel.
Ramus’ international inspiration came when he joined a church-based mission trip to Honduras at age 17, to help rebuild a small village church and school. He realized that some children did not have enough food or supplies to attend school but also saw a tightly knit community that warmly welcomed the team of doctors, teachers, contractors, and volunteers. Witnessing first-hand the challenges of a developing country had a profound effect that ignited a lifelong interest in international travel and work.
With a BA from St Lawrence University, Ramus worked ten years for a Cambridge-based international education organization. Using a combination of marketing and curriculum development, he created classes to prepare American high school teachers and students for their educational trips abroad. “My job is to prepare students to be citizens of the globe”.
His ongoing work with students prompted a growing interest in education theory and curriculum building. After speaking with a Student Success Coach about the program details, Ramus enrolled at UNH Online to earn a Master’s of Educational Studies (MEd), graduating in December 2019. The asynchronous online format of his degree studies made it possible to maintain his ongoing international travel schedule. Since he could log in from anywhere in the world, it was “a perfect fit”. And, getting an online education himself provided the tools Sam needed to create and refine his own online classes for the high school students preparing for their educational travels.
Ramus eloquently describes the community of his online classmates as he met teachers, directors, and administrators from both the private and public sectors. The UNH advisor customized coursework to encompass his areas of interest so he added some business classes in leadership and management and was pleased to find that assigned projects were directly applicable to challenges in the workplace.
Enthusiastic about the class in leadership, Sam describes the impact of a foreign student who brought a unique perspective to a class project. He was inspired to help that student find their voice in an unfamiliar context, which came from a collective realization that leadership techniques must be tailored to the unique characteristics of the audience.
In the firm belief that online learning opens many doors to people and offers tremendous support, Ramus’ advice is to use the forum to engage frequently with professors and fellow students. “I was inspired by the high-caliber UNH faculty, who are veterans in their field, using primary research in their classes. They were easily accessible for questions, extra help, and support.”
The master’s degree opened the door to a new job in Portland, Maine with The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), a non-profit organization working to humanize international relations. Sam is joining the Academic Affairs team that manages study abroad for college students.
When Sam is not working, traveling or studying, he stays active with running, soccer and, his favorite activity, skiing in the strong belief that a healthy life is based on a balance of mind and body.
Ramus is thrilled with the educational and international opportunities of his new job. Bringing together people from countries around the world comes naturally to him, which truly makes him a citizen of the globe.
Written by Gwendolyn Goguelet
