Professional Experience: Tsewone brings her professional and academic experiences in human-centered design, equity within education, and management consulting to her work at Kinetic West. Prior to joining in 2022, she completed her Master of Education in Educational Policy, Organizations & Leadership while working in the college's Office of Student Diversity & Inclusion. Simultaneously, she worked with Substantial, Inc. as an equity-centered design researcher and Subject Matter Expert on numerous projects committed to centering the experiences of Black, Latine, and Indigenous youth in education. Throughout her work, Tsewone has positioned herself as a critical thinker, uplifting lived experience and stepping outside of the bounds of “traditional” ways of knowing and being in our world.

Why I do this work: My identity and lived experiences play a central role in why I do this work. Growing up in South Seattle and King County as the daughter of Ethiopian refugee parents, I was surrounded by a loving, diverse community with so much knowledge and care for each other. However, I also witnessed and experienced deep systemic inequities before I even had the language for it. My journey through public school and university expanded my sense of what was possible in the most profound way. It also showed me what my peers and I didn’t have access to that could change the trajectory of our lives, and just how many systems were set up to make sure we couldn’t, because of who we were and where we came from. I believe that everyone should have a real chance at pursuing the life they dream of for themselves and am dedicated to removing the obstacles that get in our way.

One of my favorite quotes to live by is “Never be limited by other people's limited imaginations. If you adopt their attitudes, then the possibility won't exist because you'll have already shut it out,” by physician/engineer/former NASA astronaut Mae C. Jemison, the first African American woman to travel to space.

Where you’ll find me when I’m not consulting: You can find me eating my way through the world with my best friends, spending quality time with my younger siblings (10 and 13 as of fall 2025), or working on my next craft project - right now, it’s crocheting!