Matheos Mesfin ’14

Paying a life-changing journey forward.

“In my own small way Grinnell shattered what I thought I would experience as an immigrant student who came from Ethiopia, settled in D.C., then went to school in Iowa. I had no idea that a school, in the middle of nowhere, would hold such an oasis of knowledge, experience, and fun.” 
— Matheos Mesfin ’14

Matheos Mesfin’s ’14 transformative experience at Grinnell College led him to create the Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education.

The Washington D.C.-based nonprofit has opened doors to higher education for immigrants and first-generation immigrant students of East African heritage. It is the only known organization in the United States facilitating access to colleges for East African communities.

More than 100 institute students have landed in four-year colleges and universities, including Stanford, MIT, and Grinnell College.

“The joy I feel in helping complete strangers, I can’t monetize it – I really can’t,” Mesfin says. “It’s an incredible void that we’re filling, and it’s a void that needs to be filled.”

Mesfin emigrated from Ethiopia in 2007 to join his mother in Washington D.C. Three year later, he was a Posse Scholarship recipient at Grinnell. He says the diversity of the College was essential; interacting with others from differing backgrounds shaped his views.

“In my own small way Grinnell shattered what I thought I would experience as an immigrant student who came from Ethiopia, settled in D.C., then went to school in Iowa,” he says. “I had no idea that a school, in the middle of nowhere, would hold such an oasis of knowledge, experience, and fun.”

The College helped set the foundation for how Mesfin works and interacts with students. Additionally, the support system he experienced at Grinnell carries forward into his work today. This experience didn’t just help his overall development, but the sense of responsibility he’s adopted through his work.

“Coming from a D.C. public school, Grinnell was there for me,” Mesfin says. “I still stay in touch with my mentor, Doug Cutchins ’93. And, when I didn’t have money to fly back home to D.C., a staff member would lend me their personal money. That kind of support system really imprinted on me.”

Matheos’ brainchild has ensured that students in East African communities have the opportunity to cultivate their full potential. The Institute for East African Councils on Higher Education provides three components: college access, foreign languages, and professional development.

“Through interdisciplinary engagement, expertise from staff, and personalized college access curriculums, we expose students to the higher educational community and strategies needed to secure admission to independent colleges and universities,” Mesfin says. “IEA Councils also provides professional career counseling and guidance for our scholars. We strive to establish formal connections between our students and professionals for internship opportunities and professional exposure.”

For his extraordinary efforts, the Washingtonian named Mesfin a 2018 “Washingtonian of the Year.” Grinnell College President Raynard Kington sent Mesfin a congratulatory letter shortly after the Washingtonian article came out.

“It is great to see a Grinnellian so passionate about giving back to his community, as well as making an important contribution to diversity in American higher education,” Kington wrote. “Getting promising students to consider the whole range of educational opportunities is a challenge that will need to be addressed on many fronts, and I admire your drive to confront it in an underserved community close to your heart.”