Adonias was raised in a rural Ethiopian village with his eight siblings. A full scholarship from the Ethiopian Education Foundation allowed him to attend a private boarding school in Addis Ababa, where he participated in the environmental club and learned about gardening.
After graduating, Adonias hopes to return to his hometown to make real change by sharing his knowledge with as many people as he can. “I’m interested in studying agriculture because more than 80 percent of people work in it. In Ethiopia, we have 100 million people. I want to help them by improving the government and agriculture. I will use my practical knowledge – how to use water, land, fertilizer, compost – and give advice. I want to leave with new ideas about how agriculture can change my country.”