16/06/2025
Congratulations ππΎπ Nathaniel, Job well done, we are all proud of you and your achievements.
OFF TO WASHU - Introducing Natnael Demelash. Natnael came to America at the tender age of 2 and has quickly grown to become a dedicated and high-achieving student. He serves in his community through deaconship service at his local church, Misrake Tsehay Kidus Teklehaimanot Church, running his schoolβs DECA chapter as President, & volunteering at his schoolβs tutoring center. Since he entered high school Natnael has taken on a keen interest in the business world and been involved in numerous extracurriculars to showcase his passion for business and gained crucial leadership experience in the process.
It all started in 9th grade when Natnael started selling snacks at school as a side hustle. Although he only earned $300 in 3 months, this experience expanded his interest in business. Soon after, he began exploring online business ventures he could start but realized that he didnβt have the knowledge or connections to create a successful startup. In the fall of 2022, he signed up for DECA, a business & marketing club that offered competitive events and workshops to increase his expertise in the field. This choice jumpstarted his business journey by gaining new insight into the different careers and industries available at the conferences from the hands-on experience he gained through the different competitions he participated in. For the past two years that Natnael has been in DECA, he has been able to receive numerous accolades such as placing 1st place at the district and state level competitions in the entrepreneurship category and qualifying to compete at the international level in Orlando Florida. Although Natnael didn't place at the international competition in Florida, he was able to take his experience competing and use it in FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), another business club he had joined alongside DECA.
During the 2023 FBLA competitions, Natnael was able to place first in marketing at the district and state level and place 6th place internationally at an event with over 17,000 attendees. This achievement was a huge honor to Natnael & helped shape him into the person he is today as he gained confidence, leadership, & collaboration skills from the competitions.
Outside of these two business clubs, Natnael has been recognized at school and in his local community for his academic excellence and driven attitude. In his high school, he received an Outstanding Student award for his Spanish II class in 10th grade showcasing the effort he put to excel in his classes. Furthermore, he won the Daniel Zuriga Spirit Award at a George Mason weeklong institute he attended for entrepreneurship. This award was given to students who demonstrated leadership, service, and an eager attitude during the summer program. In addition, Natnael was awarded the Bayar Fellowship: a virtual training program that covered the fundamentals of leadership and professional development. He was selected from a pool of over 250 applicants to get the exclusive opportunity to receive training from top professionals at Harvard, Google, Goldman Sachs, and more. Natnael has taken these skills he learned and applied them to his school life with the hopes of implementing these skills in his future career.
In his community, Natnael has served as a deacon at church for over 5 years. Ever since he was a child, he has been attending the Misrake Tsehay Kidus Teklehaimanot Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church with his family. This church has fostered and mentored him throughout his childhood. When he first began going as a child, it was something he did out of habit. As he grew older, he began cherishing and appreciating the spiritual and personal benefits the church provided him. He began paying closer attention to the weekly gospel readings and the word of God found a place in his heart. He became a more empathetic person in his life as he strove to provide an inclusive environment for others and view their perspective on different conflicts that arose. Church also motivated him to do better because he realized the amazing gift he had of living a comfortable life in America compared to other people around the world. He had heard so many stories of students from a very difficult background being able to make the best out of it and these stories made him feel ashamed because he had access to all this opportunity within the United States, yet he hadnβt done anything meaningful. Going into 10th grade with this mindset he was eager to take advantage of all the opportunities he had access to whether it was joining Key Club, gaining an officer position within DECA, or running for class president. Even though there were times he didn't feel the motivation to do anything he always reminded himself that he was here to make a positive impact. As St. Paul had said, "If God is for us, who can be against us" (Romans 8:31).
