This event is a lecture by Dr. Yarden Fanta-Vagenshtein, post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Graduate School of Education, Department of Human Development and Psychology. In 1985, when she emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel, Dr. Fanta-Vagenshtein did not know how to read or write. In 2005, she completed her Ph.D. in education, becoming the first Ethiopian woman to earn a doctorate in Israel. Dr. Fanta-Vagenshtein was a teaching fellow at Tel Aviv's School of Education, Science and Technology (2002-2007); presented key Israeli educational and political issues to world leaders as Emissary for the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency for Israel (1997-2005); and served on the board of directors overseeing Israel's Community Centers for the Ministry of Education (1994- 2000). Her field of research examines how illiterate immigrants adapt to modern societies, specifically Ethiopian assimilation in Israel. Dr. Fanta-Vagenshtein's lecture is sponsored by the Consulate General of Israel to the Southeastern United States. $5