Society 364 / 2012

USA
Interview
to be an historical landmark agreement.
I am hoping that I will add my part to
peace, prosperity, security and entrepreneurship.
I hope that positive energy, economic
growth, and continued great bilat
cooperation are part of my legacy.
Did you face any surprises or unexpected
situations in Austria so far?
Everyone I spoke to before I came to
Vienna said, “You are going to love being
in Vienna”. And I do. It has been a warm
welcome, which is not a surprise. I have
European heritage. My mother is from
Germany and my father is from Latvia. I
feel, in a way, that this is like a homecoming.
I knew what to expect from a cultural
perspective. I am looking forward to the
Christmas-markets, to the skiing, and
will always be pleasantly surprised when
I experience these things in a new place.
There have been no negative surprises.
Which kind of picture did you have
from Austria before coming here?
I think the Austrian brand is about culture,
about the beautiful landscape, and
the low unemployment rate! Austria has
done a remarkable job at weathering the
European economic downturn.
You are very engaged in social matters.
What is your commitment to charity
and community work?
Whenever I reach out to society, it
comes from an innate feeling to give back
to the community. I often say that there
are seasons in one’s life. In your twenties,
you concentrate on your career, on your
education. When you reach your thirties,
you start thinking, “how can I give back to
the community?” It coincides, often, with
becoming a parent. Unfortunately, not everyone
has the opportunity for an education.
Not everyone has the opportunity for
health care. We are working on changing
that. We are all people, all one community,
and that is why we need to make sure everyone
has at least their basic needs met.
H.E. Alexa Wesner looks
forward to her new job
as Ambassador
Where does your social attitude derive
from?
From my personal history. My parents
came to the U.S. as immigrants. They
worked very hard to make a life for themselves
in the U.S. I saw hard work and dedication.
I grew up valuing what the U.S.
could offer but I also knew that I needed to
work hard to make use of those opportunities.
I think the value of hard work was in
me at the very beginning and then I was
always fortunate to have all my basic needs
met.
Society 2_2013 | 47