By LORINDA TOLEDO

Christopher Ramirez, 23, never thought he’d be a writer.

Growing up in a Phoenix suburb, Ramirez had a talent for math and a passion for sports.
“I have the kind of mother who enrolled me in everything,” Ramirez, the oldest of three children, said with a chuckle.

As a child, Ramirez was involved in everything from Boy Scouts and band to basketball. In high school, he played football and rugby, but it was an English teacher’s compliment that propelled him to journalism.

At Arizona State University, Ramirez combined his love of sports with his newfound zeal for journalism. He served as a reporter and editor for the school paper before spending about three years at The Arizona Republic answering phones, reporting high school sports scores and eventually moving on to cover public safety.

Recalling how he once interviewed a Holocaust survivor and the owner of an environmentally conscious McDonald’s in the same week, Ramirez said people’s stories inspired him.

“That’s part of what is so fun about journalism,” said Ramirez, who enjoys reading biographies and cooking.

In August 2008, Ramirez embarked on a new adventure, studying abroad in Costa Rica for a semester. Now approaching graduation in May, Ramirez said that experience unlocked a desire to travel and helped him realize what he truly values in life.

“In the long run — whether I land in journalism or not — I want to be successful, to do well,” Ramirez said. “Not in a monetary sense, but in my profession. … I just want to be able to say I made something of myself.”