Evergreen High School alumnus goes to Harvard…again!

Remember when the Harvard acceptance of a high school senior from White Center went viral? Well, after returning home with his Ivy League bachelor’s degree, Abel Berhan is going back to Cambridge to pursue a master’s at the esteemed Harvard Graduate School of Education.

Berhan graduated from Evergreen High School in 2018. In 2022, he graduated from Harvard with honors, earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in ethnicity, migration and rights.

Since then, Berhan has been working in Highline Public Schools, supporting about 100 students at Evergreen and Tyee high schools as a Promise Scholar Specialist. Berhan facilitates workshops on topics ranging from racial identity to financial literacy and facilitates career exploratory field trips, study halls and one-on-one check-ins to help students access post-secondary education.

“This year gave me the taste I was itching for in education,” Berhan said. “Working with the Promise Scholars program, I have had the opportunity to start a program from the ground up, design curricula, and develop meaningful relationships with both students and staff. It has been extremely rewarding.”

While at Harvard, Berhan will work as a part-time teacher at a high school in Boston. He will leave the program with a teaching license. He aims to become a history teacher, a spark that was lit in his Contemporary Global Issues course at Evergreen High School.

“By examining global issues like poverty, incarceration, and environmental hazards, for the first time in my life, I had been given a framework to understand many of the issues seeping into my own communities and life. The course left me with questions and issues I had an undying passion to explore,” Berhan said.

Berhan says after he completes his master’s degree, he would like to return to Highline as a teacher.

“Abel’s firsthand experience attending Highline schools and growing up in our community has been instrumental in shaping our work,” says Sativah Jones, assistant director of college and career readiness. “His insights as an alumnus have enabled us to engage with our community, ensuring that our program truly addresses the needs and aspirations of our students.”

About the Promise Scholars Program

While the Promise Scholars program is open to all students in Highline, the program aims to support male students of color with post-secondary enrollment in apprenticeships, community and technical colleges, and four-year universities. This group of students historically has lower direct enrollment rates in post-secondary education. A grant from King County Promise funds this program.

About Highline Public Schools

Highline Public Schools serves more than 17,500 students grades K-12. Highline encompasses the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and White Center in Washington state. Highline has 34 schools, employs more than 2,000 staff members and offers a variety of educational opportunities from early childhood to college preparation. Highline is committed to equity in education, high expectations for all, and partnering with families and the community to ensure all children graduate ready for the future they choose.