Mark Dixon '06 and Olivia Gear '15 are both Fulbright Scholars for 2015-16 and both are living in Germany – Dixon in Halle and Gear in Saxony.
Dixon is a doctoral candidate from Princeton Theological Seminary and is spending his time in Germany studying manuscripts concerning Peter Böhler's 1738 mission to Africans enslaved in South Carolina.
Meanwhile, Gear is no stranger to Germany; she spent a year studying in Stuttgart during her time at Concordia. She is spending the year teaching English.
Despite living in different cities and working in different fields, both decided to attend an annual meeting for the Fulbright Fellows residing in Germany, and it was there that the two bumped into each other.
"It was a real pleasure to meet Olivia," Dixon says. "My wife and I are a little homesick after eight months in Germany, and we were so happy to speak with someone whose warmth and friendliness reminded us of everything we love about communities like Concordia College, and even Minnesota in general."