Hello friends,

My name is Mehret Haileab Asgedom. Mehret means “Mercy.” Many people call me Mehret and pronounce it Ma-her-et or Me-her-et. Others call me Mahi for short. You may call me whatever you feel most comfortable with.

I am half Ethiopian and half Eritrean and was born in Ethiopia. My family fled Ethiopia in the late 1970’s in order to escape war, a corrupt Marxist government, and famine. My mother crossed over to Sudan with great difficulty with me on her shoulders and my two brothers at her side.

I am a recipient of great mercy for though I have experienced many difficulties, I have also been so blessed to experience some wonderful opportunities.

I have gone to school almost all of my life in Wheaton, Il. Since 2001 I have been teaching English Language learners in the very district I grew up in. My students are from all over the world. Many of them have fled war-torn situations and struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder. Their parents also have been deeply impacted by their journey. As a former ELL student, I find it beyond rewarding to be able to help my students navigate the academic and the social/emotional challenges that they are faced with when they arrive to America.

In my opening greeting I referred to you as friends. Although no people or generation has ever suffered like our brothers and sisters did in the Holocaust, please know for me that this journey of studying the Holocaust is an intensely personal one. My deep home is that our time together this summer will knit us together both in learning and in friendship.

I look forward to meeting each one of you and learning as much as I can from you.

Best,

Mehret

I also would like to mention that I love salsa dancing and writing poetry. Poetry has been a huge part of my healing journey and I am at the place in life where I enjoy using it to help others in their own journey. If you would like to see some of my poems, you will find them on my blog mehret.blogspot.com.