May 5, 2006
Director of Media Relations
413/542-8417

AMHERST, Mass.—Edward Ramos, a sophomore at Amherst College, has been selected as a 2006 Goldman Sachs Global Leader by the Goldman Sachs Foundation and the Institute of International Education (IIE). For the past five years, the Goldman Sachs Foundation has been identifying and developing some of the most promising future leaders; Ramos is one of 100 outstanding second-year students around the world selected this spring from over 70 of the top colleges and universities. A graduate of J.R. Masterman High School, Ramos is the son of Victor and Theresa Ramos of Philadelphia, Pa. Ramos will receive a grant for educational expenses at Amherst.

Of Peruvian ancestry, Ramos launched the Peru-America Cultural Exchange program, which organized intercultural exchange trips for soccer players to the small Andean town of Carhuaz. At Amherst, he founded Summer English in the Andes, a program that will bring seven college students to Peru to teach English to young children. Ramos is pursuing a major in history at Amherst and plans to go to law school.

Last summer Ramos researched the effect of volatile organic compounds on ozone production on a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant. In high school, he received a number of awards, including the National Hispanic Heritage Youth Award for Engineering and Mathematics, the AXA Achievement Award for Pennsylvania and the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia scholarship. Cited by the Philadelphia City Council and Pennsylvania State Legislature for scholarship and community service, Ramos was a math tutor in high school.

“Global Leaders are extremely talented academically and have already shown proven leadership abilities and a strong interest in global affairs,” said Stephanie Bell-Rose, president of the foundation, as she announced the 20 U.S. and Canadian 2006 Goldman Sachs Global Leaders. “Goldman Sachs and IIE created this program to help these promising young people develop their leadership skills and goals—at a critical juncture in their academic careers—in order to become even more effective agents of change.”

In addition, 50 of this year’s 100 Global Leaders, including 10 from U.S. and Canadian universities, will also be selected to participate in the annual Goldman Sachs Global Leadership Institute in July in New York City. They will spend time with leaders from the private, public and nonprofit sectors, learning about leadership and global issues. Past speakers have included experts in leadership, diplomats from the United Nations, executives from Goldman Sachs and other private companies and leaders of influential NGOs, including the International Crisis Group and the International Rescue Committee.

The Goldman Sachs Foundation is a global philanthropic organization funded by The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. The foundation promotes excellence and innovation in education and works to improve the academic performance and lifelong productivity of young people worldwide. It achieves this mission through a combination of strategic partnerships, grants, loans, private sector investments, and the deployment of professional talent from Goldman Sachs. Funded in 1999, the foundation has awarded grants of $72 million since its inception, providing opportunities for young people in more than 20 countries. The foundation has a Website at www.gs.com/foundation.

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is the world leader in the international exchange of people and ideas. Its expertise enables institutions and individuals to build capacity in their home countries and regions. IIE designs and implements more than 200 programs of study and training for students, educators, young professionals and trainees from all sectors with funding from government and private sources. These programs include the Fulbright Student and Scholar programs and the Humphrey Fellowships, administered for the Department of State; and the People, Energy, and Development Program administered for the U.S. Agency for International Development; as well as corporate training and scholarship programs. IIE has a Website at www.iie.org.

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