Meet Eden Yohannes, Our East African Debate Liaison

Eden Yohannes was our dedicated East African Debate Liaison this season. In this role, Eden connected with East African community members from across the Twin Cities, sharing about the power of debate.

As a former policy debater at Rosemount High School, Eden leveraged her knowledge and experience in debate, along with her authentic community connections, to share the value of East African Debate with local communities.

Thanks to her tireless work, our East African Debate program grew to reach even more students across both Minneapolis and Saint Paul. She made connections with coaches, families, volunteers, creating a groundswell of support for this unique program.

When reflecting on her experience across the season, Eden says:

“I had the pleasure of joining the East African debate program for the 2024-2025 season as a liaison. I had no prior conception or standards of what East African debate was before starting my position, but I was blown away by what the program had to offer nonetheless.

It was incredible seeing young debaters discuss issues and solutions regarding their education and identities. I watched them learn how to articulate difficult concepts that were foreign to them at the beginning of the season. I observed their passion and I proudly watched them utilize debate as a meaningful outlet.

Debate has been a big part of my life. It assisted me academically, because it gave me the portable skills of research, public speaking, and argumentation. Beyond that, it served as a platform to discuss issues important to me as well as how my identity shaped my worldview.

I was taken aback by the amount of future opportunities available to those in East African debate. Being a program of Augsburg university, we were able to highlight scholarship opportunities specifically for debaters. Our first ever community event this year was supported by many talented guest speakers. Not only were they able to highlight their experience, but the event also functioned as a great networking opportunity.

I’m delighted that I was able to help bring this experience to other East African students. I’m so happy to see how the program has grown, and I couldn’t be more excited for the future!’’

Thank you all you do, Eden! We appreciate your commitment to the MNUDL’s mission and her passion for making a difference!