Democracy as an ideal. Andrea Parhamovich did not die in vain

Andrea Parhamovich, who once worked for Governor Jane Swift, obviously had a lot of heart and idealism to go with it. She embodied the "soft" power of American might. Will we recognize this sacrifice as well? How will we honor it?

PERRY, Ohio --When Andrea Parhamovich was a high school freshman, she made it clear she wanted to change the world. Years later, she left to do just that, taking a job with an organization that promotes democracy in Iraq.

This week, the 28-year-old Ohio native died there when a convoy of the Washington-based National Democratic Institute was attacked. On Thursday, an al-Qaida-linked coalition of Iraqi Sunni insurgents claimed responsibility.

"She definitely had a personality that she was going to make a difference in people's lives," said Pat Giannell, a world history teacher at Perry High School, from which Parhamovich graduated in 1996. "Obviously, that's what she was doing in Iraq."

Parhamovich, a graduate of Marietta College in southeast Ohio, had been working with NDI in Baghdad since late 2006. She helped Iraqi political parties reach out to voters. She was helping "build the kind of national level political institutions that can help bridge the sectarian divide and improve Iraqi lives," NDI said.

Giannell kept in touch with Parhamovich after she graduated and last spoke to her about a year ago when she dropped by the school for a visit. She was always globally minded as a student, he said, and he wasn't surprised that her ambition carried her to Iraq.

"For her to die like that is not imaginable because she was the opposite of that type of lifestyle. She was a peaceful person," he said.

Parhamovich graduated in 2000 with a degree in advertising and public relations with a minor in journalism, said Tom Perry, spokesman for Marietta College in central Ohio. While at the college, she worked in the liberal arts school's media relations office and was part of the campus television and radio station.

"We saw what an excellent person she was, and she obviously had a passion for something and wanted to go there and be a part of it," Perry said. "We're proud she wanted to do this. It shows it's not just the soldiers who are in harm's way."

In a statement, Parhamovich's family said she was a "confident, motivated, intelligent and loving young woman ... who also put those around her first."

"Andi's desire to help strangers in such a dangerous environment thousands of miles away might be difficult for others to understand, but to us, it epitomized Andi's natural curiosity and unwavering commitment," said the statement. "She was passionate, bold and caring, as exemplified by her work to improve the lives of all Iraqis."

Parhamovich worked at a private public relations firm in Andover, Mass., in 2000 and 2001 before leaving to work as a communications aide in the state Department of Economic Development under then-Gov. Jane Swift, The Boston Globe reported.