Hana serves as the co-founder of the Merahit Women Empowerment Club at Hawassa University, where she has played a crucial role in advocating for gender equality and empowering female students.
As a board member of the Ethiopian Women Human Rights Defenders Network (EWHRDN), she promotes collaboration among women human rights defenders, sharing best practices, addressing challenges, and fostering a culture of solidarity and support. Her professional journey includes significant contributions to the Ethiopian Human Rights Defenders Center through innovative communication strategies that have enhanced the organization’s outreach and impact.
Hana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management and Law from Hawassa University. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Human Rights at Addis Ababa University.
The Leader in Me
Leadership, for me, has always been a default rather than something assigned. As the firstborn in my family, responsibility naturally found its way to me. When my parents traveled abroad for work, caring for my younger siblings became my duty. At that age, I never called it “leadership” but it truly was. Managing the household finances, resolving conflicts, and ensuring everything was in order were part of my daily routine. Without realizing it, I was already leading.
High school became another space where the leader in me found room to grow. I vividly remember a time when there was a shortage of economics teachers. I took the initiative to teach my peers during morning assemblies. Looking back now, I am amazed by how confidently my classmates trusted and listened to me. It was leadership quiet but present.
University came with a clearer understanding of what leadership meant to me. I co-founded Merahit, a women’s empowerment club, with five other female students. As the club’s president, I ensured its structure was sustainable and that our team remained engaged. Recently, a friend reminded me of the impact I had back then, telling me that my leadership style inspired her and even resembled that of a colleague with 18 years of experience. Her words helped me see what I used to overlook: leadership was something I carried naturally.
Entering the professional world strengthened this truth even further. Though I started as an intern, circumstances soon placed me in a leadership role when a colleague went on maternity leave. I led the department with passion and commitment, and from that point on, I continued finding myself entrusted with new leadership responsibilities across the organization. And same goes with the second organization I worked for.
Joining Haset became a turning point in recognizing my own potential. Even when I felt I didn’t meet all the requirements, they believed in me. They saw the leader I often underestimated. Haset taught me to acknowledge my strengths, embrace my capabilities, and work on my weaknesses with confidence. Through every life chapter– home, school, university, and work I’ve learned one undeniable truth: the leader in me was not shaped by a title, but born within me.