9th Keren High School Reunion

Seattle 2025

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When Generations Unite and the Food is Just Right

By Zemhret Seare

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By: A Proud Participant with a Full Belly and a Fuller Heart Zemhret Seare

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Let’s call it what it was: a Keren flavored masterpiece with a side of grilled magic and a surprise serving of ሽሓን ፉል Keren.

For one unforgettable weekend in Seattle, nostalgia met technology, BBQ met scholarship, and the spirit of Keren showed up in all its stubborn, joyful, dance happy glory. It wasn’t just a reunion, it was a multi-generational summit of culture, laughter, and meat smoke. A gathering that thought it was a conference. Or maybe a conference that accidentally brought 1000 lb Lamb.

To the Founders, the Young Guns, and Everyone in Between

Old school wisdom linked arms with new school hustle and pulled off an event so smooth, even the BBQ sauce felt underdressed. The microphones mostly worked, the PowerPoints mostly behaved, and the laughs? Unfiltered, belly deep, and sometimes dangerously close to choking on ቅጫ/ልገማት. 

And the music? Oh, the music was so good, even people with two left feet tried to moonwalk in slippery dress shoes. None of it would've been possible without the soul-stirring talents of our very own Keren sons Sami Gunbot,Rezene Abu Newas, and Mike Al, who came armed with chords, charisma, and just enough nostalgia to make grown folks dance like it was 1973 and curfew was optional. Their voices hit us right in the memories, and yes, some hips may never recover.

The Presenters: When a Cookout Turned Into ባይቶ Keren This year’s presentations didn’t just raise the bar, they grilled it, seasoned it, and served it with a side of enlightenment. We came expecting hugs and zigni; we left with notebooks, new vocabulary, and mild identity crises. Wait, are we AI READY??

If my memory serves right, this is how I saw it go down.

                  ●  Fr. Negusse Keleta opened the wisdom buffet by reminding us that Keren is more than a place, t’s a miracle of harmony, faith, and the art of coexisting diversity, His message? That our cultural DNA is marinated in peace, family, and a little bit of loud disagreement over where to place the chairs.

·                 ●  Dr. Asefaw Abrha came in like the career fairy godfather. He talked about resources, mentorship, and success strategies for first gen immigrants, without even charging a consultation fee! He offered himself as a helping hand to any young Kerenite looking to climb the ladder. You just had to catch him before someone pulled him to the dance floor.

·                 ●  Dr. Sultan gave us a gentle reality check on child development. Basically, kids need attention both mentally, emotional, and physical. Which means yes, someone has to stop scrolling and actually talk to them. He made it clear: raising children isn’t a solo mission; it takes a village and at least three aunties.

·                 ●  Tomas Michael gave a lively crash course on Artificial Intelligence, though some of us thought AI was a new Eritrean band! He walked us from “What’s machine learning?” all the way to “Can AI outperform ዶክቶር ወልደማርያም ገብረስላሰ a known Kidney specialist. Thomas, even made algorithms feel like a quick family recipe, faster than you can say ‘ሓሊብመንተል ላቦራቶሪ.’”

·                 ●  Awet Rusom stepped in with wisdom passed down from his father: "To know where you’re going, you have to know where you came from. Yes. He encouraged young people to bring their culture along, not just their phones and degrees, and reminded us that forgetting our roots is like eating ጥረ ስጋ without ሚጥሚጣ.

·   ●  Blain Hagos hit us in the heart with her presentation on Autism. Her warmth, honesty, and advocacy brought understanding where there was once silence. She didn’t just inform—she embraced, uplifted, and left the room blinking back tears. The mic may have crackled, but her message came through loud and beautifully clear.

  ●  Mr. Araya Gebreslasse, who is a mental health therapist, was amazing. In just 15 minutes, Mr. Araya delivered a powerful message that left a lasting impact. Drawing from his own personal struggles, he spoke with such honesty, passion, and a genuine desire to help others that he brought many in the audience to tears. His ability to present his profession in such a short time yet offer life-long lessons was truly remarkable. 

•  Kibra Gebre and Sham Desbele teamed up in a way that was both poetic and practical. The two RNs opened with a powerful truth: “We are born of love in our mother,” and from there, they brought much needed light to a topic we often avoid death, dignity, and the legacy we leave. They’re leading the charge to establish a postmortem resource center especially focused towards Eritrean Women, an urgent step for a community still struggling with basic health literacy. It was more than a presentation; it was the passing of a torch. A quiet revolution.

·                 ●  The presentations closed out with a documentary by Ahmed Ragi so powerful, you could hear chairs shifting and hearts swelling. His deep dive into the role Keren students played in Eritrea’s struggle was more than history, it was a group therapy session, a memory lane walk, and a reminder that courage once wore our same school uniforms. We left feeling proud, inspired, and very suspicious of anyone who didn’t shed at least one tear.

·   Belina Seare, was good, sharp wit, and surprised aerobics that had elders wondering if they’d signed up for a reunion or boot camp. She now demands applause before dinner. Together, these presenters turned a backyard reunion into a classroom, a sanctuary, and a time machine. And yes, it officially became the first known cookout where people asked, “Do you have the slides from that?”

This year’s Keren Reunion felt less like a casual gathering and more like a high-level summit, part congress, part cultural celebration, with gourmet food and non-stop dancing. It showed what happens when a forward-thinking community comes together: real dialogue, bold ideas, and enough coffee to fuel a revolution. The dream now? To bring this brilliance home to Keren City, where it all began.

Now, About That BBQ...If you measured success in smoke and second helpings, Seattle walked away with the gold medal and the grill. That barbecue was working harder than a Keren mom on ፋሲካ Or ዒድ ኣልፈጥር  day. Chicken flew off the flame, burgers vanished mid-flip, and no one believed anyone who said, “Just a small piece.”

Comedians: Truth Tellers in Disguise; they brought Keren style comedy loud, unfiltered, Tesfagabr, Mike Em, Fickak, Zeneb, ዓብዱ ሩባት jokes were so funny people were concerned their heart might stop, full of jokes that made even the elders laugh and shake their heads. 

Photographers: Catching the Chaos Like Pros. They captured everything: hugs, dance moves, photobombed elders, and at least 17 people mid-chew. One cousin’s forehead was missing in shot, but thankfully, the ዝልዝል ስጋ always looked stunning.

The Whole Vibe: Unity, Laughter, and Tech Troubles

We didn’t just gather, we sparked a movement. Between the wireless mic mishaps, the impromptu dancing, and deep debates over how spicy is too spicy, the spirit of Keren came alive. The elders brought wisdom, the youth brought rhythm, and the toddlers brought unlicensed chaos.

A huge shoutout to the dream team behind the scenes, led by the calm and brilliant ኡስታዝ Abraha Zerai, with stars like ሕትና ጀውጀው ጀመትራ, ወድ ትካቦ, ወድ ነጋሽ, ወድ ድራር, ወመስኒሁ, Abraham ኣባዱ and more, who made sure the food flipped, the mics worked, the music hit, and the vibes soared.

 

To All of You To the presenters, the tech crew, the grill warriors, the joke slingers Especially Abdu Rubat was amazing, the babysitters, the dancers, the tiktokers, the aunties who packed leftovers, and the uncles who stole chairs we see you, we love you, we ስዋ and መስ toast you.

 

Keren is unity, Keren is love, Keren is joy. Keren is knowledgeable with flavor and a full heart with a full plate. See you at the next one.

Same soul. Different zip code. Bring your notebook... and your appetite

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