Making Change

For recent immigrants coming to the United States, it can be difficult to break into a new career. But in the Washington, D.C. area, a community is banding together to provide support and resources to help professionals thrive.

Your Ethiopian Professionals Network, affectionately called “YEP” for short, is on a mission to empower its local community. Through events, mentorship, and professional development, the organization is striving to make a difference in the lives of the Ethiopian diaspora.

“The DC Area has the largest concentration of Ethiopians outside of Ethiopia,” explained Sinafik Gebru, YEP’s Executive Director. “When our founders were fairly new to the area, they would go to a lot of networking platforms. But they just didn’t see other Ethiopians there.”

So they decided to start hosting events to reach others in their community. It was informal at first, with new participants finding them through word of mouth or Craigslist ads. But it soon gained momentum. Today, the group is going on 15 years strong with over 5,000 members.

“We try to do four things: inform, connect, inspire, and elevate,” Sinafik explained.

They offer programs in career and personal development, professional mentorship, and community engagement. With assistance in everything from resume writing and interview preparation to networking and one-on-one mentorship, YEP helps its members to reach their professional goals while strengthening their community.

Sinafik herself is a YEP success story. She came to the United States at 17. After college, she moved to the Washington, D.C. area where she struggled to find a sense of community. But at YEP, she found a welcoming and uplifting community dedicated to mutual support.

“We really bring people together so that they can be a resource for one another,” she said.  “I can’t tell you the number of people that have told me that they found business partners because of YEP.”

One of the events that Sinafik is most proud of is YEP’s annual conference, where they tackle timely topics affecting the community. In the most recent conference, they focused on the way AI is changing the professional landscape and how to get ahead of workforce disruptions.

“It’s really an effort to be at the forefront of facilitating a lot of important conversations in our community,” she said.

They try to keep events as affordable as possible, and provide their career support services at no charge. As a volunteer-run organization, they rely on donations to make their programming possible.

MainStreet Bank is proud to lend its support. When the bank launched its Making Change giving program, several employees who are also members of YEP came together to give back. Since 2023, employees have donated a total of $3,500.

“We have personally experienced the positive impact this organization has,” said one MainStreet Bank employee. “We’ve built meaningful connections that have supported our career growth, and we’ve seen how the programs have helped fellow members secure jobs, advance in their careers, and grow as leaders.”

“Contributing to YEP means helping sustain a platform that not only fosters personal and professional success but also strengthens the unity and resilience of our broader community,” added another employee. “It’s a mission we are deeply proud to champion.”