NovaElite empowers Ethiopian and Eritrean American high school students with STEM, coding, and AI education that is often unavailable in traditional schools. With early access to critical skills, hands-on projects, and one-to-one mentorship from industry professionals and university partners, we cultivate curiosity, build real-world expertise, and prepare students to become innovative leaders and problem-solvers.
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ABOUT US
MISSION
To provide inclusive, high-quality, and affordable STEM education that equips students to seize the opportunities of tomorrow. NovaElite nurtures confidence, inspires innovation, and supports learners with mentorship that guides their academic growth, project development, and career exploration.
VISION
Our vision is to establish NovaElite as a premier online learning platform where students cultivate a love for knowledge, gain a competitive edge, and harness their abilities to drive transformative change. We aspire to build a global community of confident, skilled, and forward-thinking lifelong learners ready to tackle the challenges of the future
NovaElite’s mentorship model is a key part of how we empower students to succeed in tech. Our classes are led by passionate instructors, including volunteers from top institutions like MIT and Harvard, who bring real-world experience in coding, AI, and software development. Each student is paired with a mentor—often an Ethiopian-American college student or young tech professional—who offers guidance, encouragement, and a relatable perspective. These mentors serve as role models, having overcome similar challenges, and provide support through regular check-ins, goal-setting, and project guidance to help students grow both technically and personally.
TECHNICAL PROGRAM LEAD & SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Peniel is a Senior Researcher at Microsoft Research. Her research explores real-world evidence for clinical decision-making, with a particular focus on leveraging multimodal data to assess clinical outcomes. Peniel obtained a PhD from Harvard University, where her thesis focused on unsupervised learning for clinical phenotype discovery. Prior to that she received her B.S. and M.Eng. from MIT.
Peniel Argaw
TECHNICAL PROGRAM LEAD & SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Hiwot Tadesse is a PhD student in Computer Science at Harvard University, where she focuses on the interpretability of machine learning models, with an emphasis on evaluating the quality of explanations. Prior to her PhD, she worked as a Research Software Engineer at IBM Research. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Benedict College.
Hiwot Belay
Mahelet Kassa
TECHNICAL PROGRAM LEAD & SOFTWARE ENGINEER
Mahelet Kassa is a software engineer and educator dedicated to expanding access to coding and AI education for students. A graduate of Messiah University, she brings professional experience in cloud computing, web development, and software engineering, along with a strong passion for mentorship and youth development. Mahelet has worked with students from diverse backgrounds, creating rigorous and empowering programs that help young people grow into confident creators and future leaders in tech.
Grace Ecko Jojo
EDUCATIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL ADVISOR
Since becoming licensed in 2016, Grace Ecko Jojo has worked as Clinical Director for a center serving children diagnosed with ASD, supporting immigrant families in the Boston area. She provides services and training in both English and Spanish across diverse settings, including home, school, and community. Grace is currently completing her PhD in Applied Behavior Analysis at Simmons University, where she is focusing her dissertation on evidence-based strategies for learning and development. At NovaElite, Grace brings her expertise in educational and behavioral support to help ensure students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
Eyerusalem Alemu
DIRECTOR OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT & EQUITY PROGRAMS
Eyerusalem is a public health researcher passionate about expanding access to education and empowerment resources for marginalized communities. Originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, she studied Human Biology at Stanford University with a focus on Global Child and Adolescent Health. Her commitment to educational equity began in high school, where she founded a tutoring group to support English literacy in public schools. Since then, she has worked with nonprofits and conducted research across several African countries, addressing challenges at the intersection of health and education.
GRANT AND STRATEGIC ADVISOR
Susan Din is a strategic advisor with over 15 years of experience at the intersection of government, nonprofits, and philanthropy. She currently serves as Senior Institutional Relations Officer at the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee (UUSC), advancing human rights and social justice globally. As a child of immigrants, Susan is passionate about supporting underserved communities, making her a strong champion for NovaElite’s mission to provide high-quality STEM and coding education to Ethiopian and Eritrean American students. She holds an MPA from Columbia University and a BA from the University of Virginia.
Susan Din