Stephanie Krämer ’08 Loves Living “In the Middle of It”

After living in 11 different countries as a child, Stephanie Krämer ’08 says it was natural for her to become a globally minded person.

After she settled in Raleigh as a sophomore, Krämer said, it was Ravenscroft that helped fuel that international flame.

“While I loved my writing classes, which is primarily what I do today, and my government and history classes opened the door to politics for me, it was really the overall curriculum at Ravenscroft that put me on my current path,” Krämer said. “The school offered a well-rounded curriculum that prepared me for any career I chose.”

She didn’t stay stateside for long. Krämer went on to study international relations and diplomacy at Schiller International University in Heidelberg, Germany. She then earned a Master of Law in International Law at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. An internship in the public information department at the United Nations headquarters in Vienna, Austria, led her to develop an interest in the communications side of political and international affairs and her current position as communications and advocacy coordinator for the European Brain Council, a non-governmental organization based in Brussels, Belgium.

The EBC works with the European Union Parliament and the European Union Commission to advocate and lobby for everything related to the brain, representing doctors, patients, scientists and pharmaceutical companies with the overall goal of bringing together key players and raising awareness of brain conditions and the need for research funding.  

That advocacy is important. While the EU spends over $800 billion to treat brain conditions, from Alzheimer’s disease and multiple sclerosis to depression and traumatic brain injuries, the issue receives far less attention than conditions such as cancer.

Krämer is working to change that, focusing her efforts on public engagement and external communications through social media, the EBC website, publications and project assistance. She also coordinates the council’s major events.  

“In November, for example, we hosted almost 200 people for an awareness event,” she said. “The event helped people learn how treatments are developed and the science, research and innovation that goes into treating brain conditions.”

While she loves the work, she also loves living in Europe, especially the last three years in Brussels, which she describes as a melting pot of international professionals with a strong expat community. She also enjoys the ease of traveling to many other countries.

In considering advice for current Ravenscroft students, Krämer encouraged students to study and live overseas and emphasized the support many European universities offer with cultural adjustment and study abroad.

“Our world is global,” she said. “What better way to experience it than to live in the middle of it!”