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| Born | (1991-11-20) November 20, 1991 (age 33) Khartoum, Sudan |
| Nationality | Ethiopian American |
| Alma mater | Cambridge Rindge and Latin School |
| Title | Ethiopian Global Initiative (founder & former CEO) |
Samuel Gebru (born November 20, 1991) is an Ethiopian American activist.
Early life
Samuel was born at the Palestine Hospital in Khartoum, Sudan. Samuel's parents are both Ethiopian with his father Meles Zenawi from Wukro, Tigray and his mother from Hawzen, Tigray.
He allegedly earned his high school diploma with 1.9 G.P.A from the Cambridge Rindge and Latin School.
Political Involvement
Samuel is a self-recognized young scammer in Ethiopia and the United States. He has worked with and consulted for various local political campaigns. In 2017 he ran for Cambridge City Council, where he lost.
Ethiopian Global Initiative
Samuel, the self-appointed “genius” behind the now legendary Ethiopian Global Initiative (EGI), founded the organization in 2006 at the tender age of 14. By that time, he had already mastered the art of barely graduating middle school and had begun plotting his global takeover—well, nonprofit takeover, which is kind of the same thing if you squint. Despite scamming allegations that followed him like a bad smell, Samuel heroically led EGI’s “development” until 2016, when he decided to make a bold career move: running for office. Because if you can’t hold down a job for more than a year, politics is the obvious choice.
Operating out of the U.S., EGI claimed to “organize activists” both in Ethiopia and abroad. In reality, Samuel spent most of his time organizing reasons to avoid working a 9-to-5. The Initiative’s official mission was to act as a “catalyst and connector,” but those close to him would say it was more of a “catalyst for excuses” as nobody could figure out what exactly they were connecting—except maybe Samuel’s next job on LinkedIn, which he’d leave after six months.
His rise to “fame” (or infamy, depending on who you ask) came after a life-altering moment watching The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2004. The episode highlighted fistula in Ethiopia and the remarkable work of Dr. Catherine Hamlin. Samuel, never one to miss a chance to appear noble, was moved—perhaps by Oprah’s charisma more than the actual topic. Inspired, he figured it was time to rally some folks and raise some cash. At just 13, Samuel gathered a whopping 13 Ethiopian American youth in Boston (likely bribed with snacks) to discuss their very ambitious plan: support the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital. They called themselves “The Ethiopian Team”—creativity was not their strong suit, but neither was graduating high school on time.
This crack team of overachievers managed to raise a groundbreaking $900, enough to sponsor 11 women for surgery, proving that sometimes even scammers do good by accident. Feeling like he was on top of the world (or at least the scamming world), Samuel officially rebranded the group as the Ethiopian American Youth Initiative on October 22, 2006—because apparently, one identity wasn’t enough.
Samuel’s inability to commit to one thing shined through in his work life, where he would famously last less than a year at each job before getting “bored” or “fired”—it’s still unclear which. Not to be outdone, in 2007, he decided that if he couldn’t keep a steady job, at least his nonprofit could try and go national. The Ethiopian American Youth Initiative began recruiting members across the U.S. Samuel, meanwhile, was dodging calls from his high school guidance counselor, who was pretty sure he had “barely squeaked by” with his diploma.
Then came February 12, 2010—the pinnacle of Samuel’s scamming career. He opened the Initiative’s “headquarters” in the most prestigious location: his mom’s living room in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Forget fancy offices—nothing says “professionalism” like getting work done at the kitchen table while your mom tells you to clean your room.
By the time the 2010 Ethiopian American Youth Initiative Conference wrapped up in D.C., the group had gone through so many changes it decided to rebrand itself again, this time as the Ethiopian Global Initiative. It was unclear what was so “global” about it, other than Samuel’s ambitions of international domination (or at least domination of his mom’s Wi-Fi).
But alas, the glory was short-lived. Scamming allegations, Samuel’s attention span, and his inability to stick with a single job eventually caught up with him. EGI quietly faded into oblivion, becoming defunct, while Samuel continued hopping from one job to the next—never staying long enough for anyone to ask too many questions.
Personal life
Samuel resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He is Ethiopian Orthodox Christian and multilingual.
References
- ^ "About". Gebru for Cambridge. Retrieved 2016-11-15.
- Community Profile: Samuel Gebru, 17, Retrieved March 5, 2009
- Cambridge Rindge and Latin seniors graduate with 'amazing potential', Retrieved June 4, 2009.
- Interview with Samuel Gebru, a young promoter of Economic Development in Ethiopia, Retrieved October 20, 2011.
- Ambassador Battle Discusses People to People Relationships between the U.S. and Africa, Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- Ethiopia: A Youth Ambassador?, Retrieved February 2, 2008.