Adhanet (/Ad-HA-net/) Kifle (/Kif-leh/) has been a resident of Columbus for over 32 years with the majority of those years as a resident of the current 18th House District. She’s a proud graduate of Weinland Park Elementary, Hubbard Elementary, Hilltonia Middle School, Briggs High School, Devry School of Technology, and has completed a number of graduate courses at The Ohio State University.
In 1983, Adhanet and her family fled war-torn, Eritrea located in East Africa, and lived in a refugee camp in Sudan for 7 1/2 years before they were given the opportunity to come to the United States. With just the clothes on their back and with the inability to speak English, the Kifle’s worked to earn their piece of the American Dream. Both parents worked full-time jobs, her mother as a housekeeper and her father as a maintenance worker, to support their six children.
As the oldest child and the first in her family to learn English, Adhanet played a vital role in helping her parents and siblings to navigate the American dream. One of her proudest moments came when she was given the opportunity to swear her allegiance to the United States Flag for the first time as an American citizen.
Adhanet was inspired by her computer science teacher, Mr. Martiny, while she was a student at Briggs High School. Her experience at Briggs not only sparked an interest in technology, but ultimately led her to pursue and successfully complete a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Information Systems in 1998. Since that time, she has worked as a highly sought after technical consultant lead. Some of her former clients have included companies such as: Battelle, Cardinal Health, Citigroup, Travelers, JP Morgan Chase, Express, LLC and others.
Adhanet’s personal life experiences have helped her to understand and appreciate the value of a quality education. Because of her unique background, in 2006, she saw the need to create Eritreans for Education (E4E), an organization that empowered young people to maximize their educational potential. E4E helped students with ACT/SAT preparation, conducted college tours, and taught the importance of volunteerism with organizations such as the Habitat-for-Humanity and The Salvation Army.
In 2014, Adhanet was appointed by Mayor Michael B. Coleman to serve a 3-year term as a member of the Columbus Community Relations Commission. As a Commissioner, she has been an important voice in the city’s work to develop and implement programs and policies to eliminate discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, disability, national origin, or sexual orientation. She believes that marginalized groups and diverse cultures should be embraced not ostracized.
Adhanet’s record of community of service also extends to her work with the Short North Civic Association, the Hilltop Public Library, the Vineyard of Columbus Food Pantry, Habitat-for-Humanity, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Franklin County.
Adhanet lives in Short North and is active member of Vineyard Columbus.
Voting for Adhanet Kifle, is voting for the following items:
- Strengthen Public Education – every student should have access to high quality education to contribute to our economy
- Reform Mental Healthcare Services – every citizen should have access to an adequate mental healthcare services
- Reduce Crime and Increase Safety – everyone should feel safe in the neighborhood
- Increase Minimum Wage – every citizen working full-time should earn income above the poverty line
- Economic Equality– equal pay for equal work
