The Eritrean Diaspora Scholarship Committee is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026-2027 Eritrean Diaspora Network (EDN) Scholarship. Now in its eighth year, the fund continues to make a meaningful impact on the lives of Eritrean students, and we remain committed to building on this momentum for years to come.
Thanks to the generosity of our community of donors, sponsors, and event supporters, we raised more than $27,000 this year in support of the scholarship fund, allowing us to increase our scholarship amount from $2,500 to $3,000. This milestone would not have been possible without your continued partnership.
This year, we received 87 applications, and nine exceptional students were selected to receive this support. We are honored to share their stories and their words of gratitude to the community that made this opportunity possible.
We are deeply grateful to our dedicated Scholarship Committee for the time and care they gave to reviewing every application, and to our generous donors whose support makes this program possible. Your commitment keeps our mission alive.
Onward and upward.
Arsima Araya is a second year student pursuing her Doctor of Law at Harvard Law School. A recent graduate of the University of Chicago, she holds both her Bachelor’s in legal studies focusing on international affairs, race studies, and Master’s degree in political science. Her motivation to attend law school was inspired by her parents and family who were refugees from Eritrea to the United States. Many of whom served as liberation fighters in the pursuit for Eritrean independence, she has studied intensely the rule of law, migration, international development, and human rights. Arsima hopes to work in both the private and public sector focused on global affairs, keeping close to the values of freedom and dignity her family sought to give to Eritrea. Arsima plans to use the scholarship to cover the cost of living while in school.
Aryam Mebrahtu is a senior at Boston University studying Computer Science and minoring in Public Relations. Her interest in technology began at home, when she built her first program to help her younger brother learn his name, sparking her passion for using technology to make education more accessible. She aspires to create educational technology by combining software development and communication to create culturally relevant solutions for underserved communities, including Eritrean families. Aryam also hopes to create mentorship opportunities for young Eritrean women interested in STEM and encourage the next generation to see themselves as engineers and innovators. She is especially grateful to all the donors for their support in achieving her educational and early career goals.
Ferdos Abdulkader is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine pursuing her MD. As an Eritrean American and Tigrinya speaker, she is committed to providing compassionate, equitable, and culturally responsive care to patients from diverse and underserved communities. During her training in Denver, she has connected with Eritrean patients by speaking with them in Tigrinya, helping build trust and making them feel more at home. Ferdos is also dedicated to mentoring students and hopes to expand opportunities for future generations of Eritrean youth pursuing careers in healthcare. She will use the scholarship funds to support her final year of medical school and help cover the costs of applying to residency. Ferdos is deeply grateful for this support and looks forward to giving back to the communities that have shaped her.
Luna Mesfin is a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in Neuroscience on pre-dental track with a minor in Humanities, Health, and medicine. She hopes to become a dentist and use her career to improve access to preventive oral healthcare, especially for underserved and Eritrean communities. Luna is passionate about health education, community service and giving back to the community that has shaped her. She is also the founder of Prevent Today, Smile Tomorrow, a student-led initiative that focuses on promoting preventive oral health and increasing awareness about the importance of oral hygiene. Luna is incredibly grateful to be a recipient of Eritrean Diaspora Network Scholarship, which will help her ease the cost of her education and allow her to purchase oral care supplies to distribute to Eritrean communities. She hopes to use her education and future career to give back and create a lasting impact within her community.
Marta Tekie is an incoming junior at the University of Washington, majoring in Biology with a focus in Physiology. She is passionate about healthcare, science, and serving her community, and hopes to attend medical school in the future. As an Eritrean student, Marta is grateful for opportunities that allow her to grow academically and give back to her community. She plans to use the EDN Scholarship to support her educational expenses as she continues working toward her goal of attending medical school. She sincerely thanks EDN and its donors for their generosity and support in investing in Eritrean students’ education and future.
Nadia Idris is a sophomore at Yale University majoring in the History of Science, Medicine, and Public Health and pursuing a Certificate in Education Studies. She is on the pre-med track and intends to first get her Masters in Public Health, then attend medical school and pursue a career in pediatrics. Nadia is passionate about investigating public health disparities and addressing health inequities in underserved communities. She is beyond grateful to be an awardee of the Eritrean Diaspora Network Scholarship, and she will use those funds to help cover college-related expenses and allow her to prioritize her academics throughout her undergraduate years.
Nathnael Bereketab is a senior at Howard University studying Computer Science in the College of Engineering and Architecture. His mother, a software engineer, inspired his interest in tech. He is passionate about diverse perspectives being represented in software and technology that impacts people at scale. As a freshman, he interned at Chevron and has spent his last two summers at Uber as a Software Engineering Intern. After graduating, Nathnael hopes to build a career as a software engineer while staying rooted in the Eritrean community. He wants to build mentorship pipelines, resources, and workshops to support Eritrean youth by working with organizations such as EDN and Eritreans in Tech. He will use the EDN Scholarship funds to support his final year of tuition and expenses. Nathnael is deeply grateful to EDN for investing in Eritrean students like himself and plans to give back to the community that has shaped him.
Rima Haile is a first-year student at Universidad del Sagrado Corazón in Puerto Rico, studying Experience Design with a concentration in Events and Tourism. She has worked as an event coordinator and travel workshop facilitator for the LGBTQ+ African community in Washington, DC, creating opportunities for connection, cultural exchange, and celebration. Through her education and experience, Rima hopes to expand her skills in event curation, inclusive travel planning, cultural programming, and destination weddings to better serve the Eritrean diaspora. Her ultimate goal is to create spaces where Eritreans—especially those who have historically felt unseen—can feel safe, celebrated, and connected to their culture and community. Rima is deeply grateful to be a recipient of the EDN 2025–2026 Scholarship. This support has made a meaningful difference in her ability to afford both housing and her education, allowing her to focus more fully on her studies and continue contributing to the community she cares deeply about. She is thankful for the opportunity to grow her skills, pursue her goals, and give back through the creation of meaningful experiences for the Eritrean community.
Yafiet Gojela is a 3rd year medical student at Howard University College of Medicine aspiring to become a Primary Care Physician. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Cognitive Neuroscience with a minor in Social Entrepreneurship from the University of Virginia. Yafiet’s goal is to become a doctor that serves the Eritrean community in the DMV and Eritrea through compassionate, patient-centered healthcare with an emphasis on prevention. By understanding the Eritrean language, culture, lifestyle, and dietary practices, along with his strong ties to the DMV community, he hopes to build trusting relationships that allow patients to feel comfortable discussing their health. Beyond medicine, Yafiet is passionate about mentoring the next generation of Eritrean physicians and strengthening connections among healthcare professionals across the diaspora. He also hopes to regularly return to Eritrea to provide free medical care and give back to communities in need. This scholarship would help reduce the financial burden of medical school loans while supporting future opportunities to present his research in gastroenterology and cardiovascular health. Yafiet is deeply grateful to Jesus Christ for guiding his path and to the EDN community for supporting his dream and bringing him one step closer to becoming a doctor.