Wallenberg high school student Stevan Berhe came to the United States at the age of three from Eritrea with his mother and two brothers. He is bilingual, speaking both English and the Eritrean language Tigrinya. He is an altar server at the Russian Orthodox Church on Geary in the Richmond District.
He first went to Rosa Parks Elementary School. In second grade, he transferred to St. Charles School (and remembers being concerned that it might 0120151704be a financial strain on the family). As he was growing up, he had the benefit of two older brothers paving the way. He followed in their footsteps in his choice of sports – first soccer, and ultimately basketball.
He decided not to attend Lowell High School like his middle brother Evan (who is now a senior there). Instead, he chose Raul Wallenberg Traditional High School, which older brother Simon attended after first going to Sacred Heart. And, like Simon, Stevan joined the SF Achievers program.
Simon is now a freshman at San Francisco State and gets college funding from several sources, including SF Achievers. When asked why he was willing to be interviewed, Stevan said that he likes the SF Achievers program and wants to do what he can to support it. The students who participate become good friends. Stevan feels like he can talk to them about anything. He also finds that the activities give him a good long-term perspective when thinking about college and what he will do with his education. Stevan decided to participate in SF Achievers because he heard good things about it from his brother. Stevan is a sort of “next generation” Achiever. As the Achiever program grows, so too will those who hear good things about it and decide to give it a try.
