Meet Merhawi Tesfai, UC’s 49th student regent
July 25, 2022 •
Eritrean immigrant Merhawi Tesfai was appointed to be the 2023-24 UC student regent on July 20, 2022.
On July 20, the UC Board of Regents appointed UCLA doctoral student Merhawi Tesfai as the 2023-24 student regent — a position established in 1975. Tesfai, who is studying social welfare, is the 49th student regent. As the student regent-designate for the 2022-23 year, he will be able to participate in all deliberations. He will gain voting privileges when his one-year term as a regent begins in July 2023.
Born in Eritrea, Tesfai immigrated to the U.S. as a child and is a first-generation, non-traditional transfer student. He has a background in counseling and uses his own experience to engage in outreach to assist community college students in navigating the transfer process. He also encourages students from underrepresented communities to apply to graduate school.
Read more about Merhawi Tesfai from the UC Press Room
Tags: Merhawi Tesfai, student regent, UC Regents
