MUNCIE, Ind. – Heather Ramsey, like many students, did not know what she wanted to do after college.

Unlike others students, this Ball State University graduate decided to live in Romania for five months, volunteering at a shelter for street children following graduate school.

"It was a life-changing experience, but it was really hard to see all those homeless children," said Ramsey.

Ramsey was first exposed to international education when she studied in France for a summer in high school.

At Ball State, she majored in French with a double minor in German and journalism. As a junior, she took part in the International Student Exchange Program (ISEP) which allowed her to study in Switzerland for a year.

"The year abroad at Ball State definitely influenced my education and everything I’ve done since then," said Ramsey.

After graduation, she attended the Monterey Institute for International Studies in California where she received a master’s degree in international policy studies.

Her master’s thesis on the former dictator in Romania led her to volunteer there.

"I wanted to see and experience everything that I had researched and studied," said Ramsey.

After working in Romania, her first job was for the Associated Study Program for Educational and Cultural Training (ASPECT) in San Francisco where she worked in the marketing department.

"I tried to get students from the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe to come to English-language schools to study English," said Ramsey.

For the past four years, Ramsey has worked for the Institute of International Education (IIE), West Coast Center as a program officer.

First, Heather worked with the Fulbright Scholarship Program, which provides grants to American students to study abroad and for international students to study in the United States.

In the position, she counseled international students on academic and visa issues.

Now, she manages the Cisco Learning Institute Scholarship Program sponsored by Cisco Systems.

Other responsibilities include writing the annual report, producing newsletters and managing the West Coast office Web site.

"All of the journalism skills I learned at Ball State have definitely helped," said Ramsey.

Recently she has been the chair of the National Association of Foreign Student Advisors (NAFSA), an association of international educators, and part of the district team that coordinates conferences.

Ramsey plans to continue her education at the University of San Francisco with a doctorate in education and an emphasis on international and multi-cultural education.

By Jennifer Seal, Graduate Assistant

(NOTE TO EDITORS: For more information, contact Heather Ramsey by e-mail at hramsey@iie.org or by phone at (415) 362-6520 ext. 207.)