LISTEN: After going viral for his love of former President Jimmy Carter last year, Ryan Ramos and his family accepted an invitation for a grand tour of the Carter Center and Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta. GPB's Kristi York Wooten and Alicia Eakins recorded the joy.
Monday at the Carter Center, a dream came true for 5-year-old Ryan Ramos from New Jersey: He finally experienced "Jimmy Carter World."
After going viral and landing in People magazine for a 2025 TikTok video about his Jimmy Carter pajamas and admiration for the former president, the boy and his parents and brother were invited to see Carter's private office and keepsakes, including a Grammy Award and a flag from his funeral.
The family started a Go Fund Me to raise funds for the trip and arrived in Atlanta this week for their tour of the Carter Center and Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, along with a planned visit to the Georgia Aquarium and an Atlanta Braves game.
The Ramos family made their way down a Carter Center hall filled with modern art by Andy Warhol, Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenburg before being surprised by Carter family members inside Jimmy Carter's private office.
Carter Center Board Chair Jason Carter, grandson of Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, shook hands with Ryan as Amy Carter (daughter of the Carters), Josh Carter (grandson of the Carters) and the Ramos family looked on.
Most children Ryan's age are into Legos and comic book heroes, but his parents said he looked up to a different kind of superhero. He first learned of Jimmy Carter at age 3 from an interactive toy, then his family told Ryan about former president's 100th birthday and death in 2024 and held a Carter-themed birthday party for him when he turned 5 last year.
Lauren Ramos said Ryan, her youngest son, admired Carter for his belief in service to others and has already followed in his footsteps by participating in a Habitat for Humanity Build.
"He was kind," Ryan has said in social media posts, and reiterated to reporters at the Carter Center Monday that kindness was his favorite thing about Jimmy Carter.
"How many Jimmy Carter shirts did you bring [on the trip]?" Lauren asked Ryan.
"Five," Ryan said.
"We’re just so excited to see what he’s done to bring light to my grandfather’s legacy," Jason Carter said. "It means a lot to see a new generation connecting with that ‘love thy neighbor’ message. It’s just fun."
Jason Carter showed Ryan his grandfather's model submarines, swords the 39th president received as gifts from faraway lands and the rocking chairs the president made.
Before Ryan took a turn sitting at Jimmy Carter's desk, which is an exact replica of the one he used in the White House, Amy Carter demonstrated how she would climb under the desk and hide as a child in the Oval Office during her father's presidency.
She also presented Ryan with a Braves baseball cap embroidered with the date of her parents' wedding anniversary.
"I’m just so proud of him for recognizing such a kind soul and wanting to do good in the world," Lauren Ramos said of Ryan's enthusiasm for Jimmy Carter's example and way of life.
"The smile says it all. Is this your dream come true?" she asked Ryan, who nodded.
"And who are you going to be like?” she said.
"Jimmy Carter," Ryan answered.
