Lasting Memories
Berhane Hiwot Azage
Sept. 14, 1987-Jan. 8, 2015
Stanford, California
Submitted by Iberia Zafira
Our beloved Berhane Hiwot Azage unexpectedly passed away in Hong Kong on Jan. 8, 2015, at the age of 27. He is survived by his mother and father, brothers Adane and Manny, and sister Selam. Berhane was born on Sept. 14, 1987, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. He attended Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles and graduated from Stanford University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering (Phi Beta Kappa, Tau Beta Pi and Terman Scholar) and a M.S. in Management Science & Engineering.
Stanford was his second home and a place where he touched many minds and hearts with his boundless intellectual curiosity, thirst for excellence and compassion for all. Whether studying in the library with friends or dancing at Dance Marathon and beyond, his infectious smile and laughter brought joy to those around him. He loved sharing his Ethiopian culture with everyone and built many friendships around introducing people to Zeni Ethiopian restaurant in San Jose. Exceptionally brilliant, he was a model of efficiency and negotiation; he figured out that running rather than walking saved him 15 minutes a day and could be heard engaged in fierce debate, followed by joyous laughter.
A global citizen, Berhane had an adventurous spirit and traveled to many countries including Mongolia, the U.K., France, Costa Rica and Thailand. He loved people and inspired a sense of determination and philanthropy in others. Berhane's deep love for his family and people inspired him to one day create an orphanage in Ethiopia.
We are blessed to have learned many valuable lessons from Berhane, among them: Treat everyone with compassion, work hard and dream big, and enjoy every day. Berhane's memory will live within us forever.
Feb. 11, 2015
I knew him when he was a little boy, unlike any other kid his way of thinking was so special. He was an creditably incredible boy, when he was in his 10th and 11th age what he was talking about was not about the games but the world. We even couldn't even understand what he was talking even though we were older than him. It is difficult to express him he was just special. He was the 1st from his class and stood 1st from Addis Ababa students and had a free scholarship in the best school in Addis Ababa. I was 100% sure that he would change the world. But ...... God wants to protect his children from these messed up world, that is why he choose him.