Meseret was a student in both our basic computer class and our Ready to Work class and she enjoyed learning about how to send and write emails and also loved learning about history. 

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Meseret thought long and hard about the decision to open a coffee shop. Although she followed in the footsteps of her mother, who was a merchant in her home country of Ethiopia, she paid attention to how important the coffee culture was to a place like Seattle, namely by noting the long lines she saw at coffee shops: “Starbucks morning line. In my culture, my country, people like to all day wake up drink, lunchtime drink, nighttime drink, it is part of the culture. In my country, toomany coffee houses, but here: lines. This is opportunity in America.” 

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When asked what advice she had for future entrepreneurs, she highlighted an adage that rings true for many of our students: “Especially [as an] immigrant, America is the land of opportunity. Future dream, good opportunity. Good idea, good business. Strong people, two or three years to make money at business, change life, start business and learning a lot.”