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Negede Aligaz does many things: she’s an educator, a full-time student, a graduate assistant while she’s earning her master’s degree in early childhood education at the ‘Ville. She’s also the founder, director and part owner of Little Einsteins Addis Early Learning Center.
That’s a lot of work for any person. But things are a bit more complex for Aligaz: the center she founded and directs is in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It’s a prestigious Highscope/Montessori-style school that often works with the families of visiting diplomats and government workers. Aligaz is doing it all while living and studying stateside working on not her first, but second master’s degree. She already holds a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature and a master’s degree in teaching English as a second language from Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia, along with her bachelor’s degree from MU.
Following the completion of her first undergraduate degree, Aligaz quickly accepted a proofreading job to help pay the bills. She didn’t intend to stay in that role for long and accepted a job at an early learning center on a whim.
This choice would prove to be pivotal for her career. While working at the center, she found herself under the tutelage of the principal, a woman named Jane with many years of experience as an educator. “I was an assistant with no clue on how to interact with kids because it was just me and my brother growing up,” she explains, noting that at that time, she wasn’t certain if she even wanted to invest her career in education. “I did not know anything about interacting with kids, but I had the passion. I was a quick learner.”
But Jane, she says, saw something in her she had yet to see. Aligaz was a naturally gifted educator. Jane nurtured that growing ability, gave her opportunities to learn and grow, promoting her through the ranks, and soon enough, Aligaz discovered she had a real passion and skill for molding young minds herself. “She trained me for more than three years and I’m grateful for her. I would not be here in this profession, to be honest, without her.”
Eventually, Aligaz wanted to strike out on her own. She found investors and other teachers who believed in her vision, opened an early learning center with her business partner called Little Einsteins Addis in 2016. Today, the center serves approximately 65 children from more than 24 nationalities. The school was, and is, flourishing. And yet, Aligaz wanted to learn more to better herself and the center.
With family ties in Pennsylvania, it seemed like a logical place to look. Her family spoke highly of Millersville. The University and the education department’s longstanding reputation for educating top-tier teachers was also attractive to Aligaz. “The fun part about education is that you can never say it’s enough. You never say, ‘I’m there and I know it all.’ So, you have to keep reading. You have to go to school,” she explains. “And here I am going to school and doing it again.”
Aligaz is also the graduate assistant for the International Programs and Services office. “As an international student, I know how hard the first few months could be adjusting to the weather, understanding the school system and everything,” she explains. “I love helping and mentoring new international students by sharing my experience. I feel proud to be a part of the team that helps international students have the best experience while they are away from home.”
Aligaz says she’s not just getting a Millersville education to better herself. “It’s not just an individual benefit; it’s also for the center. I have to go back to school and challenge myself. I have to set an example for my teachers.”
