Like many juniors Yordanos Lemma has started thinking about the colleges she wants to apply to during her senior year. One of the most important factors to her when it comes to choosing a college is the Ethiopian student population at the school.

She is more specifically looking for colleges that have an Ethiopian Students Association.

“I have been looking at historically women’s colleges and historically black colleges. I’ve been looking a lot at Howard, UPitt, Swarthmore, and a couple others,” Lemma stated.

History is Lemma’s favorite subject. Her eighth-grade history class and AP US History encouraged her to pursue a history major.

“I have always loved history, especially seeing how it affects us today. I feel like people don’t realize how much our past affects our present and how much understanding our past is going to help us build a better future,” Lemma explained.
She spends the majority of her time at school involved with AAAC, class cabinet, and serving as a cultural proficiency and equity student ambassador.

“I think it’s important all students regardless of their socio-economic status or race receive an equitable education. We are so fortunate at North Penn for the education we have, but I also think that changes need to be done in our education system. I think this could be applied to around the country especially with black and brown students. They are not receiving the same educational opportunities as their peers,” Lemma added.

Her favorite memory is flying to Seattle for a Youth Collaboratory program. She was able to meet students from all over the country and see things from a different perspective, particularly how students do things at their school, which aided her at North Penn.

Outside of school, she loves heading to Starbucks and drinking Strawberry Açaí Lemonade and spending time with her friends. She also spends a significant amount of time with her two younger siblings. Over the summer she loves heading to the beach and listening to The Weeknd.