In May of this year we announced the launch of the Eritrean Diaspora Network (EDN) Scholarship Fund. The launch of the Scholarship Fund was a long-time goal for our organization and we are thrilled to see it come to life!
Incredibly, we had fifty students apply for the Fund. We convened a scholarship committee of thoughtful professionals and educators, who share our passion and vision for providing access to higher education in our community.
Our committee reviewed each and every application with care, and after close assessment and deliberation selected three awardees. Meet them below:
Agazeet Haile is a freshman currently attending Kennesaw State University as an Anthropology major. As an nthropology major, she’s interested in societies and how humans have progressed within them. As, so as a first-generation American, she wants to support the Eritrean Diaspora by gaining a deeper understanding of their background. Agazeet plans on obtaining a Ph.D., so she can research in Eritrea and gather modern history about the culture, population, ecosystem, etc., and bring that knowledge to back into the U.S. education system. She believes this is important for the Eritrean and even the African diaspora because being able to learn about one’s identity, especially in a classroom setting, can secure a sense of belonging and motivate students to continue their education. Agazeet shared “The EDN scholarship will allow me to focus on my education and research goals by relieving pressure of paying my college expenses. Thank you to the donors and the Eritrean Diaspora Network for creating this opportunity for myself and other Eritrean students across the United States.”
Ghelatia Araia will be graduating this year with a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from American University. Ghelatia is determined to finish school and pursue her dreams of becoming Dr. Araia. She will be using the scholarship funds to help her get through her last year ofin undergrad and pay for some graduate school applications. Gheletia expressed “Thank you so much for this opportunity and the award. The last few years have been an interesting journey for me. I would like to thank the donors of the Eritrean Diaspora Network scholarship. This scholarship will help me get through this academic year.”
Raymok Ketema is a second-year Ph.D. student in the Department of History at UC Santa Barbara. She is a first-generation Eritrean American student from Berkeley, California, and her research interests revolve broadly around Eritrean history. She pays particular attention to the way different forms of art were used as forms of resistance during the Eritrean-Ethiopian war. Raymok said “I am so incredibly grateful to have been awarded this scholarship by the Eritrean Diaspora Network, as it will allow me to travel back to Eritrea and conduct very important fieldwork to my research. Not only does this award mean a lot to me financially, but having the knowledge that my community supports my work is incredibly uplifting and encouraging.”
We want to Congratulate all our Awardees. Through their hard work and determination they have proven to be a student that our committee wanted to recognize and support on their educational journey.
If you applied but weren’t selected for an award this year, 2020 is just around the corner. Similar to what we did this year, we will be using our Annual Independence Day Party and Week of Events to raise funds for this initiative. Our hope is to be able to support more students throughout the Diaspora. Please consider applying.
We want to thank all our donors! Without you all, this wouldn’t have been possible. We appreciate everyone who donated to the Scholarship Fund via Crowdrise and who attended our Annual Independence Day party. Your participation, your contributions, and your presence made a difference in these students lives. We hope you’ll join us in supporting more students in the future!
If you would like to learn more about the Scholarship Fund or if you would like to join our committee please email at eridiapsora@gmail.com.
Congratulations Agazeet, Ghelatia, and Raymok!