1. You were a young girl when you emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel; what is your most prominent memory?
It felt like being reborn. Everything was new and different, but you still had to function and learn to do everything but it was tough to decide where to start.

2. Why did you choose the field of education for your studies? How did your personal experiences influence your choice?
I went for my first degree in criminology and sociology because I wanted to understand why people still commit crimes again after terrible experiences in jail. After graduating and 3 years of working with criminals, I saw that educators and society didn't present them many opportunities. I wanted to be a part of the education system in order to try to make a difference and prevent these people from preferring to be in jail over being in education and learning.

3.What is your current specific field of research at Harvard?
I am researching how people from developing countries adjust to life after emigrating and how the countries they immigrate to can leverage the cognitive skills and education that these people have already acquired instead of needing to reinvest in them from the beginning.

4.Do you feel more Ethiopian, Israeli, or American?
I am an Israeli. Here in America, people are sometimes confused about black people being in Israel. I have a combination of cultures; I have lots of Ethiopian décor, clothes, food and music, but my daily life, my husband, the newspapers I read are Israeli. When people ask where I am from, Israel is the first word that comes out, then in the longer conversation after additional questions it becomes clear that I am originally Ethiopian, but I feel that Israel gave me my life.