 Ramsey was born in Brandon, Wisconsin, the daughter of Jill and Mark Ramsey.She graduated from Laconia High School in Rosendale, Wisconsin, in 2001 and then attended Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin.Ramsey was spotted while working in a restaurant on Sunset Boulevard and got an audition the next day, for a role she won—"The Real Cancun", a documentary that revolves around the true exploits of several American youths in Mexico She then began a role in ABC's television series, "The Days" before making her feature-film acting debut with Catherine Hardwicke's "Lords of Dogtown".