Marisela Ramos

In addition to serving as department chair and teaching U.S. and world history courses, Dr. Ramos teaches Andover's introductory course in Gender Studies and has served as faculty advisor and mentor of CAMD and Brace student scholars, student-led Martin Luther King Jr. Day workshops, and the student board of BOSS Feminist Magazine. Her other roles on campus have included serving as the inaugural LGBTQ+ Adult Coordinator, instructor for the Summer Gender Institute, house counselor, and Community Conduct Council Coordinator. She is a published author whose writing has appeared in the Andover Magazine and the Phillipian as well as in scholarly journals.

Being able to formulate meaningful questions is the ultimate intellectual act. In Mexico, to call someone “educated” is one of the highest compliments. Smart people know content, but educated people are empathetic and know how to find solutions. Education teaches us a way of being—to understand who we are as individuals, how we relate to others, and how we fit in our world. Most of what students encounter in their lives will not be about having the “right answers” but about knowing how to ask the questions that will help them find meaning in what they do. One of the primary responsibilities of an educator is to give students the tools and skills to be able to engage in conversations and debates about difficult but relevant topics long after they leave the classroom. Teaching students how to ask meaningful questions ensures they will know how to approach the most pressing issues of their lives.