Pronouns: He/Él

Roots: Colombia

Job Title: Research Education Analyst at RTI International

Dr. Nestor Alexis Ramirez

Research Education Analyst at RTI International

Dr. Ramirez was born in New York City and is a child of Colombian immigrants. As a first-generation college student, Dr. Ramirez was drawn to a career in higher education after experiencing how college can be a pathway to a better life for many students. After serving as college adviser with the Carolina College Advising Corps, Dr. Ramirez attended UNC Chapel Hill to receive his Ph.D in Education, with a focus on underserved student populations in higher education. In particular, Dr. Ramirez is interested in how geography plays a role in postsecondary education opportunities, and how we can use unique data sources to understand issues in higher education. Today, he works on several teams to create and collection national, longitudinal postsecondary survey data for the U.S. Department of Education, examining patterns of college student enrollment, financial aid, retention, graduation, and post-college outcomes.