Seattle 2025

Keren High School Reunion

Speech on Autism

By Bilen Hagos

My name is Bilen Hagos. As mentioned, I’ll be speaking about neurodiversity, my experience working with autistic children, and what this means for us in the Eritrean Community.
A little bit about me: I am 23 years old, my family comes from Keren and Hashela, I am the daughter of Aster and Essayas, and I have always been passionate about working with people with disabilities. I graduated from the University of Washington Bothell with my Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology; however, I’ve been working with children and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities since I was 15.

I currently work for a nonprofit organization providing early intervention services to toddlers with developmental disabilities, specifically with children under three years old with an autism diagnosis. My official title is Certified Behavior Technician, which means I provide ABA therapy–Applied Behavior Analysis–to these toddlers. 
I know, a lot of words that may not mean much to those outside this field. Essentially, my boss evaluates the children before I meet them, creates a personalized intervention plan to encourage their behavioral growth, and then designs specific programs for that growth that I implement in my one-on-one sessions. 


So, what do all of these words really mean? To speak on that, I would first like to give a formal definition of what Autism Spectrum Disorder is. Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD, is defined as “a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences and difficulties in social communication and interaction, a need for predictability, sensory processing differences, focused interests, and repetitive behaviors.” 
I know, a lot of technical language, again. I’m sure every person sitting in this room has heard of autism, but our society–and specifically our community–has never been great at creating spaces for true learning. Instead, ASD has become something to fear.

I want to emphasize: autism is a disorder, not a disease, and it is not clinically classified as a disease. It is a cognitive condition that makes people different, and different does not mean bad. 
The children I work with are different. Some need extra processing time when asked what they’d like to eat at snack time, some need more sensory stimulation like gentle leg or arm squeezes, and some get a bit angrier and more frustrated at things I might not immediately understand. We take all of these things into consideration in their behavioral treatment plans. These kiddos view the world a little differently than most people, so we make accommodations in our daily interactions with them, and they are truly better for it. When you feel understood, you feel safer, happier, and are more willing to understand others. And I am honestly better for it too. 
Expecting every single person you meet to be exactly like you limits your world. Every person–whether neurotypical or neurodivergent, Eritrean or American, child or elder–sees the world and processes it differently.
And yet, as a community, we are constantly trying to fit ourselves and our loved ones into a narrow box. We have to be just like everyone else. But, this simply is not true. You have a different life, a different story, a different bedtime routine and a different favorite meal than almost every other person in this room. We are all a little different from each other and there is nothing wrong with that. 
Sometimes, I struggle to get through a sentence in Tigrinya and have to ask my grandma how to pronounce the simplest words. Other times, my grandma needs help figuring out how to use her cell phone. But she or I are not lesser for these things, because while my grandma might struggle navigating her phone, she speaks five languages fluently. Like anyone, my abay has her strengths and things she needs a little extra help with. As do I, and as do you. 


People with autism are different from us–but are they really? An autistic adult might need a little extra support navigating social interactions, but they could have a near-perfect memory that helped them excel in school. Meanwhile, I have a fairly poor memory, which made school difficult enough that I needed tutoring; however, social interactions come quite easily to me. See? Just different strengths and things we need a little extra help with. 
Yet again, as a community, we often focus solely on what makes people different. We focus on what makes people stand out, and therefore, an embarrassment. But why is being different so bad? We are so afraid of standing out that instead of seeking support for our autistic children, we pretend nothing is going on. This is doing a disservice to everyone.
I would like to emphasize now that I am not a doctor, and cannot provide any sort of diagnosis. What I can speak to is the essential need for early intervention strategies to be practiced with children on the spectrum. Patience, compassion, understanding, helping them identify their emotions, and then communicating that those emotions are okay to feel–these are all vital to the development of children with ASD. And none of this can be done by just one person. It truly does take a village to raise a child, and children on the spectrum are no exception.
 I’ve learned every skill I have from watching my team work with our kiddos. I asked questions and will continue to ask them because I don’t know everything. None of us do. We all need help sometimes, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

In conclusion, how can we expect to ask others for help or guidance or advice if we never speak openly about a child’s Autism diagnosis? And how can we expect others to feel safe coming to us for help if we judge them for every step they take? 
How can we hope to make this world an accepting place for our children, if we do not start within our own community? Each and every single one of us can do better–and we must if we ever hope to make this world safe for every single person, neurotypical and neurodivergent alike. It is my hope that by starting this conversation, we can all begin to ask more questions, admit we have more to learn, and work together to create an open and accepting community for everyone. 
 

Keren High School Reunion In Seattle

Report 2025 (Overview)

By Hassen Fereg

Event Name:  Keren High School Reunion Conference July 5- 7, 2025

Location:  University of Washington, Seattle. Moderna Hall.

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Seattle is called ‘Rainy City’ as it always rains.  However, this time, it compromised and it was dry for the three days of the event. It is always around 12 degrees centigrade, reminding us of the old climate of Keren.  We are delighted to share our happiness that the event was a great success, and far beyond our expectations for the work done, mostly by the local volunteer community members who sacrificed their time, energy, as well as financial resources to keep up with the standard of the event.  Around $14,000 US Dollars was contributed to cover the event!!

Our lion’s share of thanks goes to Jowet, Michael, and our chair, Abraha.  Job well done. Thanks.

Friday: (July 5th):  The event was officially opened around 6:00 PM (PST), however, participants were trickling in earlier than Friday.  There were around less than 150, excluding the locals. The Seattle Community provided visiting members with homemade food and drinks, including the local drink of “Sewa” for those who are interested. Continue Reading......