Third Generation
Saba Alemnew
Saba holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and a minor in Communications from the University of California, Davis. Upon graduation, she joined Triage Consulting Group as a Consultant providing reimbursement review services for some of the largest health systems in the United States. Prior to that, Saba worked at the UC Davis Cross Cultural Center creating programs that highlighted key issues within the African Diaspora Community on-campus. Her programs led to institutional change including a mentorship program aimed at the retention of the African Diaspora Community on-campus. In addition, she is committed to public service as she has helped numerous refugees resettle in Northern California while working at Opening Doors Inc. Saba is excited to become an Ethiopian Diaspora Fellow and leverage her experiences to address economic development challenges in Ethiopia.
Connect on LinkedIn›
Saba Alemnew
Meron Begashaw
Meron Begashaw is a recent graduate of the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health - she graduated with a Master’s degree in Public Health. Prior to and during graduate school, Meron held a number of health-related positions, including program assistant at The California Wellness Foundation working in women's health and diversity in the health professions and an intern at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center and the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. She has also always looked for opportunities to simultaneously engage in her Ethiopian community and thus works in young adult ministry at her local Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church and assists with writing and event planning at Habesha LA, a social media and events company highlighting Ethiopian and Eritrean creatives. Meron's passion for health and her Ethiopian heritage led her to apply to Ethiopian Diaspora Fellowship; she is humbled and excited to learn from and share with a country that has given her so much!
Connect on LinkedIn›
Meron Begashaw
Eden Mekonen
Eden Mekonen graduated from Occidental College where she majored in Critical Theory and Social Justice and minored in Interdisciplinary Writing. While at Occidental, Eden became passionate about equitable, multicultural education and diverse representations of underrepresented groups, through community-based learning classes where she applied identity-based theoretical frameworks to community social issues. She is interested in participating in the capacity building of programs and activities, and believes this allows for sustainability as opposed to dependency. In addition, Eden studied abroad in Durban, South Africa where she conducted oral histories with Ethiopian (im)migrant women and conducted community-based research on the political and gendered significance of Little Ethiopia to the diasporic community. Since graduating from Occidental College, Eden pursued a year of service with Public Allies Los Angeles where she served as the community engagement coordinator with the youth photography nonprofit, Las Fotos Project. Eden is excited to join the 2017 EDF cohort and contribute to the long-term capacity and knowledge of the organization and community members that she will work with.
Connect on LinkedIn›
Eden Mekonen
Maceda Afework Alemu
Maceda Afework Alemu graduated from Dartmouth College in June 2014. At Dartmouth, she majored in Geography with a focus on International Development, minored in International Relations and completed a certificate in Global Health Studies. After graduation, she served as a Program Coordinator with the Center for Health Equity at the Geisel School of Medicine. Following that, Maceda completed a 3-month internship with the Resource Mobilization Division at UN Women. In March 2015, Maceda joined John Snow, Inc. as Program Officer with the firm’s International Division. As a Program Officer, she provided financial, administrative, and operations support to multi-million dollar public health projects in Ethiopia, Madagascar, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Through this role, Maceda refined her skills in program management, strategic partnership development, financial analysis, and donor communication. She is excited to serve as an Ethiopian Diaspora Fellow and looks forward to collaborating with others in building the human capacity of Ethiopians and promoting positive social development throughout the country!
Connect on LinkedIn›
Maceda Afework Alemu