Born on January 24, 1982, in New York City, Stephanie Ramos is of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Broadcast Journalism from Iona University (then Iona College) in 2003. She also earned a Master of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from Iona College in 2005, the same year she was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserve.

Ramos began her journalism career as an assignment editor at WIS-TV in Columbia, South Carolina (2006). She later moved to WIBW-TV in Topeka and KMBC-TV in Kansas City, where she gained national attention for her coverage of immigrant children crossing the US-Mexico border. She joined ABC News in 2015 as a Washington-based multi-platform reporter and was promoted to national correspondent in 2019. Currently, she reports across Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, Nightline, and ABC News Live, while regularly filling in as anchor.

In 2008, she deployed to Iraq, where she served as a public affairs officer. Upon returning, she and her husband co-produced the documentary To Baghdad & Back. She currently holds the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves.