Note to Editors: Alejandro Ramirez
is currently working at Columbia University in New
York City. Please contact the News Services Office
for contact information.
University of Colorado at Boulder alumnus Alejandro Ramirez this spring became the first CU-Boulder graduate to win the Gates Cambridge Scholarship for study in the United Kingdom, funded by Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
The $42,000 scholarship will allow Ramirez to complete a one-year master's degree program in biological sciences at Cambridge University in the United Kingdom starting this fall. Ramirez graduated from CU-Boulder in May 2005 with a bachelor's degree in biochemistry. After his study at Cambridge, he plans to return to the United States for medical school.
Ramirez grew up in Fort Collins, Colo., and was encouraged to follow his science interests by his father, a professor, and his mother, a nurse. He will conduct biochemistry and infectious disease research at Cambridge related to African sleeping sickness before pursuing a combined M.D./Ph.D. degree. He envisions a career in academic medicine.
"Part of my time would be spent treating patients, and part of it would be spent doing research on disease and hopefully developing novel therapies and strategies for treating and curing diseases," Ramirez said. "I also hope to teach in a university setting."
At CU-Boulder, Ramirez assisted with cancer research in the biochemistry lab of Assistant Professor Xuedong Liu. He said the experience was very valuable and motivated further study.
One of the reasons Ramirez chose to attend CU-Boulder was to be involved in the President's Leadership Class, a leadership studies program open to 50 of the university's brightest freshmen each year since 1972.
"The best aspect of the President's Leadership Class was getting to meet a group of very motivated and intelligent peers," Ramirez said. "I made a bunch of friends in the program right off the bat, and it was a great opportunity for networking with peers and leaders in Colorado.
"The classes are very inspiring and encourage you to go out and make a difference. I felt like a lot of the students in the program were very motivated to make a change," he said.
Ramirez was involved in a variety of other activities at CU-Boulder, earning a certificate from the peace and conflict studies program and planning events as a member of the student-run Cultural Events Board, taking time for road biking on the side.
"I met a lot of great people at CU and I liked the laid-back Boulder mentality," he said. Ramirez is currently working at Columbia University in New York City.
The Gates Cambridge Scholarship program began with the establishment of a $210 million trust in 2000 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2001, the program began awarding its annual scholarships to about 100 outstanding graduate students from outside the United Kingdom. The winners must earn admission to Cambridge, one of Europe's leading universities, in order to receive the scholarship. Winners are selected for intellectual ability, leadership capacity and the desire to use their knowledge to contribute to society.
For more information on top scholarships at CU-Boulder visit .