Niyat Asefawe was born in Saudi Arabia, moved to Ethiopia at 14, and came to America when she was 17. College and Career Specialist Holly Biehl says, “She feels passionately about helping the poor, the elderly and the less fortunate, and strives to be an advocate for those who aren’t in a position to speak for themselves.” Niyat volunteered at Amen Charitable Organization, where she taught math, physics, and English to grade school children at an orphanage in Ethiopia. She also fed and bathed the orphans.

Niyat believes strongly in civic action to address economic, social and gender inequalities and discrimination, particularly concerning women, the elderly and refugees. Accordingly, she became very involved in her community and made it a point to speak out and even broadcasts her own sit-down talk show, “The Candid Hour,” where she addresses and tackles uncomfortable topics within the Ethiopian community and the world.

She has been actively involved in the Model UN program at South County, and became Secretary-General of the club in her junior year. After participating in a debate at the Hague International Model UN in the Netherlands she said, “Writing and debating research papers on different countries’ viewpoints about issues around the world gave me an inside look to what being a policymaker may look like. I will stop at nothing to equip myself with the knowledge to become the change I want to see.”

Niyat is inspired to be a change-maker for peace, and hopes to one day establish her own non-government organization to help refugees. She urges other students “to make an effort to see what it’s like for less fortunate people and what it’s like to be in their shoes.” She says, “There is no excuse to not doing anything.”