Pictured: Hilina Teferra (left) and Meti Shiferaw (right) on Augustana's campus in 2014.
Augustana alumni Hilina Teferra and Meti Shiferaw ‘14 were the university’s first international students from Ethiopia. The two began their AU journey together in 2010 — more than 8,000 miles away from their hometown of Addis Ababa — Ethiopia’s capital.
“Their bravery led, at least indirectly, to more than 100 Ethiopian enrollments at AU over the last decade,” Ben Iverson ‘04, director of international programs & enrollment, said.
Teferra and Shiferaw have been friends since the first grade. When they began their college search in high school, they knew they wanted to attend together. They discovered Augustana through the Common Application, an undergraduate college admission organization.
“We didn’t know where Augie or South Dakota was,” Shiferaw said. “After learning more about Augustana and receiving great scholarships, we decided it was the school for us.”
Teferra had a small taste of the United States when she was in middle school, after her father landed a job at Indiana University, but returned to Ethiopia a year later. As for Shiferaw, she had never been to the U.S. before arriving at Augustana.
“It was a huge culture shock because Sioux Falls is a small city compared to Addis Ababa,” Shiferaw said. “And, it is so cold!”
Teferra and Shiferaw began to adapt to the cold and community after finding a nearby Ethiopian restaurant and church. They also found incredible support through the International Programs Office (IPO), led by former Director Donn Grinager and then assistant director, Iverson.
“They were there every time we needed something,” said Shiferaw.
“Whenever we had any doubts, we knew we could talk to Donn and Ben,” added Teferra.
Apart from the IPO, the Ethiopian students had each other — something they say was vital to their success at Augustana.
“Having Meti with me made me feel at home,” Teferra said. “It helped me stay focused.”
The two were roommates their first year in Solberg Hall, and their most memorable experience came just a few days after they moved in. The lofted beds in their room were another culture shock, and they played a game of rock paper scissors to decide who would be sleeping on the top bunk. Shiferaw lost.
“One morning, the phone rang, and Meti thought it was right next to her, so she reached for it,” Teferra recalled. “I heard a huge thump, and she fell off the bed and right onto her face.”
Despite a broken tooth, which they now laugh about, they were happy to share their Augustana experiences with friends and family back in Ethiopia.
“No one really knew about Augustana, but classmates started asking us about it, and then others wanted to join us the next semester,” Teferra said.
After consulting with Teferra and Shiferaw, Iverson and Grinager began visiting schools in Ethiopia.
“They learned about us, met our families and worked hard to talk to students directly,” Teferra said. “My extended family and our school had a good impression of Augustana.”
Teferra believes Augustana is one of the only universities that recruits in-person in Ethiopia, and the IPO has formed strong connections with the schools, counselors and principals.
“It’s one of the places around the world where we can book a ballroom at a hotel, advertise the fact that Augustana is in town and be pretty sure it’s going to fill up,” said Iverson.
Both Teferra and Shiferaw became leaders on AU’s campus — Teferra as a Viking Advisor (VA) in the residence halls, and Shiferaw as an Ace Ambassador — helping other international students navigate college life.
Shiferaw also met her husband, Meshry El Koudouss ’12, an international student from Mauritania, at Augustana. The two recently welcomed their first child, Mussie, in August. Shiferaw, who majored in nursing, is a nurse practitioner in Springfield, Virginia.
Teferra, who majored in biology, is a pharmacist in Occoquan, Virginia. Still today, the friends and classmates live just 10 minutes apart.
“We’ve been friends for more than 20 years,” Shiferaw said. “We stuck together.”