Media coverage of UC's first day

“I said, ‘I have the ability to do it. I can do it,’” she said. “We’re not doing enough to make sure marginalized people have a seat at the table. Hopefully, my presence will encourage other people to participate.”

Her parents emigrated from Ethiopia during the 1983-85 famine when the country was in the midst of a decade-long civil war. The family settled in Maryland, and then in Centerville, Ohio, just south of Dayton, where she and her older brother, Gabriel, were born and raised.

While at UC, Habteselassie has traveled to Thailand, where she provided community health outreach to newly arrived immigrants through the student group GlobeMed and its nonprofit partner Social Action for Women. She likes the idea of working abroad for a global nonprofit such as the Gates Foundation. After graduating from UC, she plans to continue her education in public policy and health or international law in Washington, D.C., where many global nonprofits and policy organizations are based.

More upperclass students are renewing their housing contracts, too. In order to keep up with demand, UC for the eighth year has expanded capacity in nearby properties through a block-lease program, with spaces available at University Park Apartments, University Edge, U Square, 101 East Corry, The Verge Cincinnati and CP Cincy.

Dieso attributes the trend to UC’s modern facilities, convenient and affordable packages and new offerings like specialized learning-living communities. "There’s just a lot of good stuff happening, and I think folks are aware of that and they want to be part of it."