A native of suburban New Jersey, in 2000, Ryan White earned a BA from St Lawrence University in Multidisciplinary Studies focusing on the effects of Globalization in Latin America and Social Movements. After graduating, he became deeply involved in what is referred to as the Anti-Globalization Movement from Vermont where he was living. This is where his interest in radio and independent media began. The interest in radio is what eventually lean him to Columbia's Oral History MA. Ryan took his movement experience and applied it to his thesis which was based on interviews conducted with six individuals involved in that movement. After graduating from Columbia, Ryan returned to his home in Portland, OR where he is in the process of developing a small oral history business.