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by Allison Carr, '06
Germany – Berlin, in particular – has always been home to Andrea Mehrlander. And while she never wanted to be an American, Mehrlander always wanted to get involved in the cultural exchange between the United States and Germany.
Mehrlander came to Whitworth on a one-year scholarship and graduated with the Class of '91. After returning to her home institution, the Technical University of Berlin, she completed an M.A. in history and English and went on to get both a teaching certificate and a Ph.D. in American history. She is now the executive director of Berlin's Checkpoint Charlie Foundation, focused on developing and maintaining relations between Germany and the U.S. Her job includes frequent business trips to the U.S. and an office near her home in Berlin.
Soon after she began working at the foundation, the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. shocked the world. She says, "When the attacks of Sept. 11 hit, I felt that God had placed me in the right spot." She started a large-scale donation campaign, raising half-a-million dollars to help in the relief efforts. Checkpoint Charlie also established the City of Berlin Scholarship Fund, which will give scholarships to children who lost a parent on Sept. 11.
As far as the future goes, Mehrlander says, "I want to continue to make this world a better place for the next generation." When she thinks about the current European economic and ethical climate, she considers a career in politics. Democracy, she says, is a gift that needs to be defended, and, she says, "You need not party politics for that, but honesty, strength and charismatic spirit." She is also contemplating working on additional German-American research projects.
Mehrlander isn't all about work, however. She says, "I am very much engaged in running a private theatre in Wittenberg." She has even found herself onstage, moderating shows and special talk programs. In addition, Mehrlander says, "My family and friends are most important to me, and I've been blessed with a wonderful circle of very good and tight friends all over the world."
Mehrlander still thinks often about her time at Whitworth. "When I close my eyes, I can still breathe the crisp fresh air; I see the deep blue skies and the pine trees behind Charis," she says. "I was so much at peace at Whitworth – with myself and with the world around me."
Mehrlander attributes much of her success and happiness to her time in Spokane. "There were two things I learned at Whitworth: Don't ever settle for second-best, and never stop pursuing your dreams. That's the secret – and that's why I am where I am today." She faced unique challenges as an international student at the college, and she says that being out of her home country showed her what it felt like not to belong. But she made the best of that situation, searching her soul and finding answers that spurred her on toward her goals. She says, "My ‘foreignness' triggered questions inside me that I had never pondered before."
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Mehrlander: Democracy a gift worth defending