Teo Ramirez

“At GHS, I learned there’s a lot of experience to be gained by starting, adjusting, and reflecting on the journey,” expresses Ramirez. 

Ramirez thrived attending Gresham High School and the Center for Advanced Learning (CAL), while participating in student government, speech and debate, and the College Possible program. 

He shared that these experiences taught him an important mindset: it’s better to jump into something new than to wait until you have every detail perfectly planned out. 

Speech and debate also shaped how he leads in local government today. It taught him to look at problems from multiple angles, ground decisions in values, and communicate clearly. He believes these tactics help him provide his community with the transparent, responsive, and fair process they deserve.

He loved attending CAL through the Computer Information Systems program, now called the Tech Lab. It gave him a different way of thinking and communicating that he still uses today. 

Teo added that if you’ve never done the “PB&J instructions exercise” for programming, you’re missing out.

Ramirez is a first-generation college graduate. He gives credit to the College Possible program for making a pathway to college accessible. He earned his bachelor’s of science degree in social entrepreneurship from Warner Pacific University, where he graduated cum laude. 

After college, he served as community engagement coordinator for the city of Gresham, where he launched Volunteer Gresham, which connects volunteers with organizations, supported cross-departmental engagement, and built relationships with community-based organizations. He also had the honor of advising the Youth Advisory Council.

He now serves as a management & program analyst for the city of Lake Oswego. He helps lead major projects, including a city-wide website modernization effort, and the Community Grants Program. 

Additionally, he’s completing a master’s degree in business administration at Portland State University and will graduate in June 2026.

Outside of work, he serves as the Board Secretary for the Community Services Network (CSN), and loves being at his church, The Rose Church. Sunday services and worship nights are his favorite part of the week.

When he needs to reset, he is likely out on a hiking trail with no cellphone service. He helped start Gresham’s hiking club in 2015 with Mr. Malan, and he still hikes many of those same spots today.