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Every year, students from all over the globe travel miles and miles to attend classes on this campus. Nineteen years ago, Dr. Nelson Ramirez stepped onto the Arkansas Tech campus and fell in love with the university. Just as many other students who traveled miles to begin their careers here, Ramirez knew as soon as he arrived that this was his new home.
Ramirez grew up in Chimbote, Peru, an industrial harbor town on the Pacific Ocean north of Lima, Peru’s capital city. After graduating college in Chimbote, Dr. Ramirez then moved to Lima, and began studying language and literature to become a high school teacher. Soon after he began his studies, hundreds of thousands of Peruvians began fleeing the country due to The Shining Path, a communist party that had overthrown the Peruvian government. Many citizens of Peru fled to European countries and the United States.
When Ramirez entered the United States for the first time, he was 22 years old.
“As a child, I had never once thought about leaving my home country or going to the United States, but I knew this was necessary for my future,” he explained.
Ramirez’s first home in the United States was Anaheim, California, because his sister and mother were previously living there which made the transition to this new area much easier.
He began working several different jobs in the Los Angeles area, one being in a Sunny D factory before he began pursuing his educational career again in the U.S. Ramirez began taking classes at Fullerton College while learning English before transferring to The University of California at Berkeley. He finished his undergrad at UC Berkeley with a degree in Spanish. Ramirez then went on to complete a master of arts in Spanish and a doctorate in Hispanic Languages and Literature from UC Berkeley.
After finishing his time in school, Ramirez began looking for jobs in the education field. He landed an interview with the department head of foreign languages and international studies at a conference in Philadelphia.
“I was invited to visit campus and loved the area and my colleagues. I had no family in the area and had never been to Arkansas. I was excited to begin a career in a new area with the opportunity to share my experiences with my students,” said Ramirez.
Since beginning at ATU, Ramirez has become a prominent fixture in the English & World Languages department. His curriculum includes Spanish literature, Spanish civilization and culture, conversation composition, Beginning Spanish I and II among others.
“The interaction between students is one of my favorite parts of being a professor. I always learn something interesting from my students and I have a passion to continuously learn about the subject I love,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez is also a published author. He is currently working on a poetry collection that was a finalist on a biannual Peruvian literature committee. Outside of class, Ramirez enjoys spending time with his family, reading and watching documentaries.
“My journey from Peru to Arkansas Tech has been very unique and interesting,” he said. “I have created countless connections and have been fortunate to meet lots of great people along the way. I really enjoy my career at ATU, and I look forward to finishing it here.”
