Austin Community College Continuing Education Financial Aid

Azeb Tesfay and her husband, Haile Abraha Beyene, left their home in Eritrea and walked across the border to a refugee camp in Ethiopia to find more opportunities.

For most families in Eritrea, there is only one option: Join the military. A life that can be hard to get out of. For Beyene, this was his life for seven years, and he had had enough.

One day, on a rare three-day furlough to visit his family, Beyene decided they would escape. He proceeded to the Ethiopian border. His wife and daughter followed shortly after, but they ended up in separate camps. Beyene, Tesfay and their daughter, Eleni, spent a year apart before they could come together at the Mai-Aini Refugee Camp in Ethiopia. Sons Mulubraha and Adonai were born in the camp.

Their niece, Tahaguas Abraha, made the same decision. She was 12 when she walked across the border into the same camp. She was desperately seeking an education that she knew she wouldn't receive in Eritrea.

About three years ago, the Abraha family came to Austin as refugees, following another relative who was here.

While they have been working hard, they have been in need of help with job skills training and continuing education so they can continue to improve the life they waited so long for.

The Abraha family is part of the Statesman's Season for Caring program, which helps hundreds of families each year through local nonprofit agencies. The Abraha family was nominated by Interfaith Action of Central Texas, which brings communities of faith together, including in working with refugees.

Read more:UT nursing student left home in Africa for better education

Coming to Austin has meant adjusting to a new language and culture for the Abrahas. For Tesfay, 37, it's also meant being pregnant and having another son, 1-year-old Yowhans.

"It was so hard at first because everything was different from food (to) culture," Tesfay said. "We didn't know much. ... We were home and didn't have transportation or didn't know how to go shopping."

She said things started to improve once the children were enrolled in school. They all took English classes through IACT, and they quickly learned how to communicate, although she said they are still learning.

Tahaguas Abraha, 20, graduated from high school in the spring and is a freshman at the University of Texas. Tesfay's school-age children Eleni, 13, Mulubraha, 10, and Adonai, 7, started to make friends.

Tesfay found a job at Ross Dress for Less and Beyene at Four Hands furniture store.

Among the biggest things on their Season for Caring list were job training and education.

Help received:Factory Mattress delivers new beds to family who slept for years on mud in refugee camp

Now Austin Community College has reached out and is going to help Tesfay get her nursing assistant certification.

MollyBeth Malcolm, the executive vice chancellor of operations and public affairs at ACC, has made it a point to read the Season for Caring stories and look for opportunities to help the featured families.

"It provides ACC with a chance to reach out to people," she said. "There are things we can do as part of our mission."

ACC has many kinds of certifications like the CNA that Tesfay will work toward that can be the first step toward getting advanced credentials.

"If she gets that CNA, that puts her in the health care field," Malcolm said. "She's working; she is making money; she can start looking at the nursing program."

ACC also has two-year associate degrees and as well as bachelor's degrees in nursing, advanced manufacturing and information technology.

"If I take that class and get a better job, I think it's good for my family," Tesfay said. "I will save money for my kiddos. My daughter is in eighth grade now, and I can save some money for college, for university" for her.

ACC also reached out to two other Season for Caring families. Shilda Fresh, 35, has been taking classes in education and film for seven years at ACC. Malcolm said the college will help her figure out her fastest path to a degree, as well as make sure she's connected to financial aid.

Fresch wants to make educational children's television, and Malcolm believes there are opportunities on ACC's campuses, from its own TV station to its partnership with KLRU, that could help Fresch.

ACC also will connect with Kalieve Gaston-Ellis, who is a senior in high school and needs help figuring out his next steps. His mom died of COVID-19 in August, and he's now being raised by his siblings.

"So many times people in the community don't realize how much we can help with financial aid," Malcolm said. "There's still CARES money left over from COVID that can help with books; there are programs that do waive tuition."

Girl Up, an educational mentorship program, also reached out to Kalieve and his younger sister, Kaiden, to offer help with preparing for college or whatever path they might want to pursue. They are planning to meet in the coming weeks to talk about scholarships, tuition waivers, and ACT and SAT planning.

Fami Eaton started Girl Up in Austin eight months ago when she noticed that kids were struggling with online learning and needed help with one-on-one educational and career counseling as well as tutoring.

"Their goals, whatever they might be, are important," she said.

For the Abrahas, they still have one more educational goal. Beyene, 46, would like to obtain a commercial driver's license to be able to make more money for his family.

Most of all, they want to be able to give their children and niece everything they need.

The Abraha family needs a seven-person vehicle, a car seat, help with tuition or housing for Tahaguas Abraha, an immigration attorney to help bring Tahaguas Abraha's brother to Austin, orthodontia care and gift cards for H-E-B.

To find out more about the Abrahas or to give an item on their wish list, contact Interfaith Action of Central Texas, 512-386-9145, interfaithtexas.org.

Learn more:How to help families through the Statesman Season for Caring Program

Donate to Statesman Season for Caring

Now through Christmas, the Sheth family is matching up to $500,000 in donations.

Find out more about Season for Caring, read the stories of the featured families and make a donation at statesman.com/seasonforcaring. You also can find a coupon to mail in a donation on Page 2B.

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Source: https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2021/12/22/tx-community-college-helps-season-caring-families-education/8968699002/

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