Berlin – October 05, 2026 -- Four U.S. college students arrived in Berlin last week as the first recipients of the Knowledge Without Borders: Democracy and Memory Fellowship, a program funded through a $55,000 gift from Karen Collias, Ph.D., founder of Knowledge Without Borders (KWB).
The scholarship, administered by the Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE), covers four first-generation, Pell-eligible undergraduates participating in CIEE's Berlin Open Campus program for the semester.
Students will study Germany's reckoning with Nazi history
Through coursework, site visits, and conversations with historians and civic leaders, the Fellows will examine Germany's history, including the rise of Nazism and the Holocaust, and how the country has shaped its collective memory since 1945.
Recent German state elections add real-world context to the coursework
CIEE noted that recent state elections in Germany have reignited public debate over history, identity, civic education, and democratic institutions, giving the Fellows' semester-long study added contemporary relevance.
"These developments make the Fellows' experience especially meaningful," said Karen Collias. "They will have the opportunity to study how Germany has confronted its history while also considering how societies remember, interpret and learn from the past."
One Fellow says the experience exceeds classroom learning
Carter Maki, a KWB Fellow from the University of Wisconsin, said the scholarship allows him to study German politics, democracy, and history while living in the country. He added that experiencing Germany's path to EU leadership firsthand has given him insights unavailable in a traditional classroom, especially as democratic institutions face scrutiny worldwide.
James P. Pellow, Ed.D., President and CEO of CIEE, said international education lets students engage directly with the people and places that bring history to life, calling the organization proud to support the Fellows' firsthand exploration of history, culture, and civic life.