Makeda Ararso

Makeda Ararso joins the Global Human Development community with a deep-rooted commitment to education as a driver of human development. Raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she grew up acutely aware of the relationship between economic development and sustainable access to education.That conviction carried her to Doha, Qatar, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Integrated Marketing with high honors from Northwestern University. She also completed a minor in Media and Politics, a joint program offered alongside Georgetown University in Qatar, grounding her thinking in the relationship between governance, media, and public life.

Professionally, Makeda has worked across journalism, communications, and education-focused organizations, bringing a storyteller background to development challenges. She reported for Doha News, conducted media relations work for Amnesty International USA, and went on to support World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) in advancing education innovation globally. Along the way, she co-founded MemhirET, an adaptive e-learning application built for Ethiopian high school students.

At Georgetown, Makeda looks forward to building the analytical and programmatic skills to work meaningfully in education development, especially in communities that have historically been underserved.

When she isn't studying, you'll find Makeda at the piano or listening to classical Arabic music or Flamenco. She is fluent in English and Amharic, is currently learning Arabic, and hopes to add French to support the development work ahead of her.