TCK Andrea Rodgers: Beauty, Grace and Philanthropy
Andrea Rodgers is the founder and creator of a website that gives readers a new outlook on what is going on in the world. The website, askmissa.com, focuses on connecting charities and philanthropic organizations with everyday life. The site is full of feature articles highlighting interesting subjects such as fashion, entertainment, food, and travel.
The site itself is a brilliant mixture of articles, but the creator is the true genius behind the business. Rodgers believes in “the positive power of volunteering and charity — not only to benefit those less fortunate, but to improve the individual, business or brand that gives their time, talent and treasure to a cause.”
She has an extensive track record of her own philanthropic endeavors, as well as an impressive resume showing off her business skills and success.
Little did she know, Rodgers is a TCK herself!
She was born in Rotterdam, which is in the Netherlands. Her father was a physician at the Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and met her mother while on leave in Amsterdam. She moved to the U.S. at the age of one, but visited the Netherlands as well as many other European cities every summer. Seeing the world at such a young age allowed her to learn Dutch, which was her first language, in addition to experience cultures completely different from her own.
Although Rodgers takes pride in her Dutch heritage, growing up in a country different from your origin can be difficult, especially for young children. She said, “My experience is similar to many children who grow up in America with a foreign parent. My mother and I are very close and I consider her my best friend. I totally accept her, but as a child I wanted to blend in with my peers and not be picked on for being different. We lived in a small town in the South. I was embarrassed that my mother had an accent, had European taste in fashion, made me gourmet lunches to take to school (Brie on Dutch dark rye bread) and was frustrated that I had to explain how to pronounce, spell or explain American idioms or popular culture.”
Rodgers’ perspective on life changed once again after a car accident that scarred her lip when she was seven. She says that made her sensitive towards those who are different. She knows how it feels to be teased and misunderstood and feeling like you don’t fit in. She took that experience and made it so that it changed her in a positive way. She said having that experience made her stronger and helped her develop interpersonal skills to get along with people from all walks of life.
As if she wasn’t already a strong and empowered woman, Rogers used her compassionate perspective on life and aimed it toward her career. She explains the success in her career by saying, “We live in a global economy where being multicultural can be a key asset. I was able to see early on that there are multiple ways of doing things, and that one way is not the “correct way.” It made me question things rather than just accept what is presented to me. My background has enhanced my creativity and allowed me to look at problems and opportunities from different perspectives to come up with ‘out of the box’ approaches.”
She also credits her cultural upbringing to her childhood town in the southern United States. There is a reason they call it “Southern hospitality;” Rodgers was raised to say her ‘please’ and ‘thank yous,’ as well as dance and etiquette at Cotillion. She was also a debutante in high school and college, which she says has helped her socially as well as in business.
Andrea Rodgers is one of many TCK’s in our world who has embraced her cultural upbringing and made it a positive attribute about herself. Every cultural aspect of her life has opened her mind to the world around her and shaped her into the beautiful, successful and empowered woman she is today.