MIT Emerging Talent - Naod’s Story

Meet Naod Negassi, an environmental activist from Eritrea, studying Computer and Data Science at MIT displaced in Uganda…

Eritrean refugee Naod Negassi touched down in Kampala in October 2022.

Negassi’s journey to Uganda involved stops in other countries of transit, staying four months in Sudan and a week in South Sudan.

Separated from his family in Eritrea, Negassi grapples with the limited internet access in his home country as well as some of the technological challenges in Uganda.

“They have to go to an internet cafe, and even there, the connection is not that strong,” the 28-year-old explained.

Despite the hurdles, Negassi manages to keep in touch with his family in Eritrea through occasional phone calls.

Back in Eritrea, Negassi graduated in land resources and environment - a unique blend of soil science, art, and environmental science – before he began work as a farm manager.

His passion for preserving the environment and planting trees motivated him to pursue this line of study.

“It all started I think from when I was in middle school, I was a part of the Green Club.”

“We always planted trees, watered and looked after the garden in our camp, so I believe it was the source where I got my passion from but through time it developed and developed and especially became very solid after I heard about this COP 21 that was conducted in 2015 in Paris, so I learned about everything, the science, the details,” Negassi continued “when I knew the details there I became more passionate.”

MIT had always been on his radar, known for its global standing in education.

His journey towards MIT’s Emerging Talent programme began with a deep-seated desire for continuous learning.

"Once I started college, I had this passion inside me to expand my education, to take my education to the next level," Negassi told us.

Now enrolled in the American university’s Computer and Data science course, Negassi expressed his eagerness to deepen his understanding of the field.

“I didn't know much about computer and data; but now I want to expand my knowledge to have a deeper understanding of that field," he stated.

Negassi sees the potential for synergy between his environmental science background and the emerging field of data science.

“Hopefully I can interrelate it with my actual profession and bring something about that changes the standards of living of my community and hopefully the world in general.

“Everything is being transformed, whatever you are thinking, it's easier to do it through computer science.

“What you have in mind, can be turned into reality, using this computer and data science.

“If you want to predict future climates, how the earth is going to be, how warm it is going to be after, let's say, 70 years, such things helps a lot,” the young Eritrean explained, “having knowledge about computer and data science significantly helps your studies in environmental science also.

As the environmental activist navigates the challenges of a new country and a demanding course, he acknowledges the importance of meaningful connection to the internet to participate effectively in his studies.

Though he notes that internet access in Uganda is relatively better than in Eritrea he believes that the majority in Uganda use inexpensive phones, causing the population at-large access issues.

Unconnected.org helped Negassi with a stable and reliable internet connection whilst another organisation called Close The Gap provided him with a laptop that he can use for his studies.

Prior to this he had to travel far to both The American Centre and the National Library of Uganda in the capital city in order to access computers and internet connection for free.

“The challenging part was affording transport back and forth,” Negassi remembered.

“If they close at five o'clock, I can’t study after that time so it was very challenging, but now not only am I able to study at any convenient time I have, but also I can save the money and the time I was wasting in search of those connections and devices.”

Having only had his asylum status recently confirmed, gaining employment has remained a great difficulty for Negassi.

Nevertheless, he has kept himself occupied with numerous voluntary activities.

He volunteers with the Eritrea Volunteer Blood Donors organisation and Voice of Refugees, fighting against corruption that asylum seekers face in their mission to obtain a refugee ID in Uganda.

Negassi is tremendously grateful for his opportunity to study with the MIT Emerging Talent programme and is hugely optimistic about what the course can bring him and his classmates in the future.

“If I wasn't given this chance, it would have been impossible for me to contract these studies, because I wouldn't be able to afford it, I wouldn't be able to even think about it if I didn't find this programme, if it wasn't for free and meant for people like me.

“So especially people from refugee communities and from underprivileged communities in general, it is a very great way where they can improve themselves where they can make themselves competitive with the rest of the world.

“They can make us competitive in the job market, they can make us change our lives, they can transform our lives,” Negassi reflected.

The young Eritrean cited the many success stories he has heard from former alumni as well as the case of one of the course’s pioneers as a source of inspiration.

He said, “The one who started this program, MIT Emerging Talent was a refugee himself at some point in time, so it gives you hope to change your life to become one who tackles whatever challenges [people are] facing.”