Interacting very little with students on the daily, the staff and admin at Ferris are known less and less by the students. And with masking protocols hiding their faces, many students don’t even know what the people who do so much for their education look like. One of the lesser-known characters around Ferris is Merrie Dehmer, who can be found in the Bookroom. 

When elaborating on why she loves her job, Dehmer said, “because I get to spend most of my day with either kids, like interns or kids coming to the bookroom. I get to answer a lot of questions, I get to direct people where they need to go because I’m right off the hallway. 

“I like this job because I like to be busy. I would get really bored if I just sat at the same desk every day. I’m making copies, I do all the ordering for the school, I’m doing a lot of purchasing, I cover books, I repair books, I check books in and out. The majority of the photocopies in the school come from this room. I make programs for the band, orchestra, and choir. It’s a ton of very interesting different things to do all the time.” 

However much Dehmer loves her job, she didn’t always want to work in a school. 

“I wanted to be a clothes designer when I was in high school. I thought I was going to be some kind of international traveler, super famous, and, of course, none of that happened.” 

Even though she didn’t reach her goal of being a clothing designer, her dream to travel the world is a great success. 

Dehmer said, “When I was in college, I stayed in France for four months, I did a semester abroad, and then I’ve been to Europe now, I think four times, different places in Europe each time. But if I could go anywhere right now, but I would love to go to China. I’d really like to do a river cruise in China where you get a chance to see the Imperial Palace, and you get to see the Great Wall of China. I really want to see the clay figures that the king from the [Qin] Dynasty. That’s what I would love to do, I just have to talk my husband into it.” 

No matter her goal in high school, Dehmer has no regrets in what career path she followed and where she ended up. 

“I graduated from Eastern Washington University, but my first two years of college were at the University of Washington. My degree is in Merchandising, so my first couple jobs were in department stores. If I had advice for anybody about careers, it would be follow your interests and see what happens. I think that you should always look on every opportunity as a learning, growing experience and then take it wherever and as far as your interests take you. 

“I worked for the Bon Marche when I first graduated from college, and then I moved back East for a while, and I was an assistant buyer of swimwear and coats for Filings in Boston. And then I used to sell networking equipment; and then I came here. You want to do what makes you happy and what makes you excited. Look at it this way: you spend way more time at work than doing anything else, so you might as well do things that are interesting to you. And if things become less interesting just follow a pathway that goes a slightly different direction that’s more interesting.” Dehmer said. 

Knowing her main profession, many people might assume she’s a bookworm who has a hobby like reading, but her hobby is much more interesting. 

“In my spare time when I’m not at school, I rehab houses. It’s a lot. I find houses that need love, I call it that because they’re usually pretty gross, and then I fix them up,” Dehmer said. “I started when I was a kid. I think my first tile job, I tiled the inside of a bathtub when I was twelve. At this point, I’ve been doing everything from pluming to electrical to painting the outside of them. Last summer, I put a roof on a house, I reinsulated it. I do it all.” 

All in all, the woman behind the Bookroom is a very fascinating person and very welcoming as well. 

“People shouldn’t be afraid to come to the Bookroom. There’re tons of good stuff to do down here, and if they need anything just come on by.”