Abraham joins Obama administration

Class of 2003 alum Yohannes Abraham graduated from Yale University 23 months ago. Right after graduation, he left New Haven behind, heading to Iowa for Barack Obama’s presidential caucus campaign. Now, he is Assistant to the Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs, working in the White House�"and he’s only 23.
“For me, it was never appealing to jump into politics for the sake of being in and around politics,” Abraham said. “I found a candidate that I truly believed in, and I found a candidate with a message that I really believed in. I had such clarity in my faith that he was the right man to lead the country.”
Early on, Abraham met Obama several times. He was working during a time when the campaign was still small, and Des Moines was a political hotspot because Iowa was the first Democratic caucus.
“One time, I went knocking on doors with him on my turf in Iowa,” Abraham said. “I even went to church with him once.”
Abraham feels privileged to work for Obama and respects both his personality and his political accomplishments.
“He is a kind and considerate person, and I think everyone who has interacted with him will tell you that,” Abraham said. “I’ve been working for the president now for about two years. He’s such an impressive person that it is hard to not sort of be in awe of him.”
Through heavy involvement in Obama’s presidential campaign, Abraham secured himself a post in the new administration’s legislative office. There, he works primarily with the House of Representatives, “keeping the line of communication between the White House and the Hill open.”
“Over the course of the campaign and now in the White House, I’ve had the opportunity to work with all sorts of elected officials, religious leaders, and even a few entertainers,” Abraham said.
In the Washington Post on March 22, Abraham was featured as part of “Washington’s New Black Pack.” The article mentions 10 young African-Americans working in the Obama administration that have promising political futures.
Abraham is modest about the short profile and accompanying photo published in the newspaper. “We’re really just ten out of hundreds, and really thousands. It was really about the army that campaigned for the now-president,” he said. “D.C. has been injected with a flood of energetic, service-minded young people. Many of them have been battle-tested by a long, hard campaign.”
Abraham graduated from Jefferson in 2003, and he acknowledges that his time in high school helped to prepare him for his hectic life in politics.
“[Jefferson] acclimated me at a very early age to long hours and hard work,” he said. “It also got me very used to on a daily basis dealing with smart people who will challenge your ideas.”
During high school, Abraham played lacrosse and excelled academically. He also served as class president for two years and vice president of the Black Student Union (BSU).
Class of 2004 graduate Elizabeth Howard worked alongside Abraham in BSU, first as a member, then as an officer. She remembers his warm personality and how welcome he made her feel when she was a freshman.
“I think one of his best leadership qualities was his ability to remain calm, collected, and rational, even under challenging circumstances,” she said.
Andrea Smith was Abraham’s guidance counselor as well as the sponsor of BSU She recalls his great interpersonal skills, leadership abilities and positive attitude.
“He was willing to try anything,” she said. “You never had to ask him twice.” Smith remembered a BSU event that Abraham lip synced in. “He was a Temptation!” she said.
From working with Abraham in BSU, Howard anticipated him entering the world of politics.
“I would be shocked if you found anyone from his time at Jefferson who couldn’t have pictured Yohannes being involved in politics,” Howard said. “The word ‘politician’ can sometimes conjure images of people who are smarmy or disingenuous, but I think Yohannes embodied the best of what a politician can be, always demonstrating a sense of care about the student populations he represented and served.”
John Colegrove, former Jefferson vice principal and sponsor of Abraham’s class, appreciated Abraham’s warm personality.
“He cares about people,” he said. “Being president of the class, for example, wasn’t all about Yohannes. It was about the class.”
Now, a long way from high school class government, Abraham has an office in the East Wing, working for Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs Dan Turton. On the campaign trail, he worked with Mitch Stewart, the director of the Iowa caucus who later worked in the Virginia state general election. Both men have been mentors for Abraham, and he attributes much of his success to them.
“One thing that has really gotten me to the job I have today is that I’ve had really great mentors,” he said. “Mitch has been a great mentor and friend, and he has really helped me to grow…Dan takes every opportunity to teach me things he has picked up from a long career here.”
“Working with [Abraham] at Jefferson was wonderful,” Howard said. “I’m excited to see what he does working for the Obama administration and in the future.”
Where does Abraham see himself in the future?
“Even in the very short time that I’ve been out of school, I’ve realized that it’s very hard to predict where you’ll even be in one year,” he said. “I think I’m probably going to go back to school. I found it useful to work after college because I think it helps clarify what to get an advanced degree in.”
Although he’s not too sure about what he wants to pursue in the future, he’s positive about one thing.
“I do want to continue feeling engaged in the current issues,” he said. “You can’t map out your course for more than a short period of time, but what you can do is find something you’re passionate about and pursue that.”