Our Residential Fellows

Amalia and Kate are recent high school graduates serving as HMA’s first Residential Fellows. As RFs, they will act as mentors both in and outside of the classroom by living with students and assisting in English and Math/Physics lessons.

The two of us never expected to move to another continent right out of high school. Yet here we are in Debre Birhan, Ethiopia, over 7,000 miles away from our childhood home of New York City. Yellow cabs have been replaced by blue bajajs; creamy iced lattes by piping-hot, black coffee. Our bedroom windows, which once displayed skyscrapers, now reveal sprawling hills of vibrant farmland. And rather than falling asleep to sirens and shouts, we hear the distant howls of roaming hyenas. Life has been a whirlwind of changes recently.

We decided to take a year off between high school and college in order to learn, grow, and, ideally, contribute to a cause we found meaningful. Working at HMA fulfills all of these goals—it’s an invaluable experience that we will cherish in the years to come, and that we know will continue to serve us long after we’ve left campus. We can only hope to give as much back to this community as it has provided for us.  

It feels so exciting to be part of a team with such strong shared values. Each and every person on this campus is determined, empathetic, hardworking, and, most importantly: deeply invested in HMA. Our shared belief in the school’s vision brought us together from all around the world; this diversity has fostered a community of varying backgrounds and unique interests. We’re having so much fun sharing our passions and learning from our new colleagues about topics ranging from entomology to birdwatching. A typical day at HMA might include: group carpentry at the Q&A lab, a few competitive rounds of wiffle ball, and, to end the night, story-telling around a blazing campfire. We may only have lived together for a few months, but already our community feels like one big family. 

While we are enjoying and cherishing our time here, the shift from bustling New York City to a relatively isolated campus has proved difficult at times. Since the students aren’t arriving on campus until January, we haven’t spent much time with anyone other than our small team this fall, and, as a result, campus has felt claustrophobic at times. This challenge has pushed us to initiate and pursue creative, meaningful projects. We’ve discovered many enjoyable activities, from reading and journaling to improving our Amharic and exploring the farmland that surrounds campus.

We are eager to meet the 38 ninth graders who compose HMA’s inaugural class. Our unique position as recent high school graduates who are living away from home for the first time will help us establish meaningful connections with the students. We hope to serve as mentors, advisors, and friends as we help them navigate the exciting and challenging experience of starting high school and moving to a new place.