OPTG: So honored to interview you today. We paid attention when we heard a graduate of a historically black college and university was raising $10,000 for immigrants from the Black diaspora to benefit college-bound students at Washington-Lee High School, a Public high school in Arlington VA. What propelled you to do this? Tell us more about yourself –your background, education, family.
Genet: Thank YOU! I was lucky enough to attend college and graduate school for free, through scholarships and fellowships. I don’t take these blessings lightly in in age where millions are straddled with student loans. My motivation to start this scholarship fund comes from that feeling of immense gratitude.
I attended Howard University, which was a phenomenal experience that helped me connect to my overlapping identities as a Black immigrant woman. I met amazing people I will cherish for life. And a network that I can easily tap into wherever I go. As you know, us Howard grads are everywhere. I feel lucky to have sat in the same classroom and walked the same yard that some of the most brilliant, fearless, influential people have also experienced.
I come from a small family, especially by cultural standards. That small, humble, working class family was another major driver for me. I’ve lost many family members to serious illnesses that cut their lives prematurely short. And I always wanted to find a way to keep their memory alive in a meaningful, lasting way. I’m honored and proud to name this scholarship the Mekonnen Family Scholarship to forever memorialize their memories and legacy.
OPTG: When did the crowd funding open and when will it close?
Genet: The crowdfunding officially kicked off on March 12, 2017. My aim is to raise the full $10,000 by May 18, with the understanding that I might have to extend the deadline.
OPTG: Is there any other criteria other than the student being from the Black diaspora and from the particular high school?
Genet: Yes. The goal of the scholarship is to support motivated, ambitious young people from poor, working class or otherwise economically disadvantaged backgrounds so applicants will need to demonstrate financial need.
I’m also considering tailoring this scholarship to young women from the diaspora. At the same time, I’m also aware of the underrepresentation of Black men in higher education so I’m still contending with a gender requirement.
The ideal candidate will have at least a 2.5 GPA or higher, have a strong connection to, or at least curiosity for their identity, heritage, and background, and have grand dreams about contributing to their community and the world at large in deeply meaningful ways.
OPTG: Do you see yourself expanding this initiative to other schools? Regions?
Genet: Yes! I absolutely would love to expand this opportunities to other schools, regions, and even internationally for students in Africa and the Caribbean. Already, I’ve received many emails and messages from college bound students asking for my help in locating and securing scholarships.
There is clearly a need for this sort of support in Black immigrant communities, based on the feedback and support I’ve received around this initiative. I hope to see it grow to reach many more students and families.
OPTG: In addition to contributions and sharing, how can people help?
Genet: People can really help by seeing themselves as part of the solution. Many of us have young people in our lives, through family, friends, neighbors, etc. Something as simple as having a conversation with a child or teen about their future aspirations could leave a positive impact. Making yourself available for frank, vulnerable, honest conversations by sharing your experiences of coming of age and learning to adult will offer a fresh, valuable perspective. Black immigrant kids face pressure, demands, and expectations from the various realms in their life (school, friends, family). A mentor or confidant can alleviate some of that pressure.
People can help simply by being a resource for young people.
OPTG: Tell us about your journey to this moment. What were your challenges? Who or what influenced and/or inspired you?
Genet: My journey as a young Ethiopian American millennial woman is heavily influenced by being an immigrant, being the daughter of a single mother, living in the D.C. area, which has a large Black immigrant population, attending an HBCU, and having lived in New York City for the last four years, among many other experiences in between.
A major challenge for me was and continues to be, though more manageable now, is balancing and reconciling the vision I have for my life with the vision my mother, family, and community have for my life. As a young Ethiopian woman, it often feels like my decisions are not my own. I must take into consideration everyone else’s feelings and needs and values, often at the expense of my own wishes. I’ve learned how to better manage that, through trial and error, and most of all, risk and choosing to honor my internal voice.
Women inspire me, hands down. Strong, strong willed, strong minded, liberated, loving woman have always and continue to spark a fire in me and show me the infinite possibilities that exist in my own life. Both women I’ve never met and most importantly, the women who raised and poured into me: my mother, grandmother, and two aunts.
OPTG: What have you learnt along the way?
Genet: I’ve learned that it’s okay to let go, the world will not end. Risks are meant to be taken, the world will not end. Life is too short to lead a mediocre, lukewarm existence. And I’ve also learned of my own power – that when I choose to speak and act and do, I shape and move and shift the world in beautiful ways. And we are all capable of that and have the power in us.
OPTG: What advise will you give particularly young people who are yet to identify their passion?
Genet: First and foremost, it’s okay to not know what you want to be or do or what you’re passionate about as a teenager. Sometimes I think it’s a bit absurd to expect youth who are barely adults to choose their life path at 17, 18, 19.
Expose yourself to as many opportunities as possible, whenever you get a chance. Go online, read articles, read books, watch movies and documentaries. Attend events, soak up every chance you get to participate in something new, even if it’s something you don’t see yourself being interested in. I think that’s one possible way to stumble into your passion.
But most of all, be patient with yourself.
OPTG: How can people connect with you? (Please list the social media handles you would like PTG to share and at least three pictures.
Genet: People can connect with me via Twitter and Instagram; my handle on both accounts is @betwixtandbtwn. I also write things on Medium: https://medium.com/@genetflakew