01Sibling Gardens
I launched a planting project with Crossroads second graders. That same day, students in Kololo planted the same peppers and onions, creating “Sibling Gardens” that connected the two schools across continents.
Activist · Athlete · Coach · Musician
Melese
Light-Orr
Balehager: one who has a country, belongs to it, and carries responsibility for its future.
I am Balehager to two countries. Welcome to this space. I hope it tells you a little bit about me.
Kololo SchoolKembata Tembaro, Ethiopia
LOS ANGELES KOLOLO
01 / FOUNDER + EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
I created a music festival to power change.
Shine a Light is the annual youth music festival I founded, produce and emcee, bringing musicians, volunteers, families, venues and local businesses together to support Kololo School.
2festivals produced
3rdMay 9, 2027 · The Crow
$38Kraised for Kololo
100+guests each year
50 to 60volunteers
Music can do more than entertain. It can bring people together around a shared responsibility. None of this would have been possible without my friends and community, each of whom played a part.
02 / KIDS FOR KOLOLO
Where you are born should not determine whether or not you get to go to school.
I was born in Kololo, Ethiopia, just steps from the school we later built for the community. Most families are subsistence farmers, and nearly every household faces malnutrition and extreme poverty. I am fortunate that I did not have to search for a purpose. This work is deeply personal and directly affects members of my own family.
Follow Kids for Kololo on Instagram
Los Angeles ↔ Kololoone shared community
480students served
$120Kraised for grades 5 through 8
30 to 40homes in electricity project
$38Kraised through music
01
02Electricity
I am helping bring power to the school and 30 to 40 surrounding homes for the first time. The poles and transformer have arrived, and installation is underway.
03Daily Lunch
I organize support for a daily lunch that, for most students, is their only meal of the day. The program combats malnutrition while giving students the nourishment they need to learn and thrive.
THE ORIGINAL INITIATIVE
One night helped build a middle school.
In 2021, I joined my sister and eight classmates to create Kids for Kololo and produce an art auction. I organized the music and helped manage the auction, which raised $120,000 in one evening to build grades five through eight at Kololo School. It showed me what young people can accomplish when a personal connection becomes a shared purpose.
03 / YOUTH LEADERSHIP
Ideas become powerful when they are shared.
At Children’s Defense Fund Freedom School, I developed and presented workshops on activism and jazz, using conversation, music and participation to help younger students explore how they can express themselves and create change. I also assisted with a robotics workshop.
04 / SPEAKER + PRESENTER
Making an idea matter to the room.
Since elementary school, I have presented to students, donors, civic organizations, adult nonprofit leaders, nationally recognized advocates, and community partners.
Available for speaking engagements at schools, community organizations, and events.
Presenting the work of the Tesfa Foundation and Kololo School
“When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion.” Ethiopian proverb
RIPPLE EFFECT
Change inspires more change.
One of the most rewarding parts of this work is seeing other club members become motivated to create change on their own. Here are some of the projects they independently developed for Kololo.
01 / STUDENT-LED FUNDRAISING
Jordan’s Campaign
Jordan launched an independent campaign, From the Classroom to the Field, to support children in Kololo.
02 / REUSE + RECOGNITION
Water bottles, repurposed
Yemaya and Vivian turned surplus volleyball bottles into a reuse initiative; the top three students in each Kololo class received them.
03 / INDEPENDENT STUDY
Harper’s Dam Project
Kids for Kololo member Harper created an independent study examining Kololo and the environmental effects of a nearby dam.
04 / MUSIC + COMMUNITY
A Festival of Her Own
Inspired by Kids for Kololo and Shine a Light, club member Eydie created Next Gen Fest, a youth music festival built around artists supporting artists and community over competition.
05 / MUSIC
Music is how
I build community.
Jazz has taken me from school ensembles in Los Angeles to clubs in Shanghai and Brazil.
Listen to Jet Lag on YouTube
Beco das Garrafas · Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Shanghai Tower · Shanghai, China
Between Performances · Shanghai, China
Fundraiser for Mayor Karen Bass · Los Angeles
JET LAG · BRAZIL 2026
Jet Lag in Rio!
FERNANDO PULLUM COMMUNITY ARTS CENTER
Learning in a living Los Angeles jazz tradition.
I perform with the Pullum Center Youth Jazz Band, a selective ensemble rooted in Leimert Park. The experience has placed me alongside serious young musicians and on stages across Los Angeles.
SELECTED PERFORMANCES
- Gardena Jazz FestivalAugust 2026
- Leimert Park Jazz FestivalAugust 2026
- Vision Theatre Grand ReopeningAugust 2026
TRUMPET✦JET LAG✦THE EXIT✦FERNANDO PULLUM✦VANGUARD
06 / MENTORING + AQUATICS
Confidence
starts in the water.
As a lifeguard, swim instructor and mentor, I help younger swimmers develop skills, confidence and respect for the water.
Crossroads varsity swimmingSwim Instructor
I teach technique and water confidence to young swimmers.
Lifeguard
I am trained to prevent emergencies, act decisively and protect others.
Mentor
I help newer lifeguards learn the judgment and responsibility behind the job.
Varsity Athlete
I was a member of the 2025 CIF Southern Section Division 3 championship team and compete in varsity swimming and beach volleyball.
Yosemite, California07 / OUTDOOR + ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP
Learning to lead without walls.
Backpacking, trail restoration and student led expeditions have taught me that stewardship is both physical and collective: you carry what the group needs, repair what others will use and make decisions with the environment in mind.
- Camping, backpacking and solo night experience
- Trail repair and native planting service
- Student planning for outdoor education trips
- Hiking Club and before school group hikes
- Catalina snorkeling and diving leadership
IN THE PRESS
Crossroads Kids for Kololo Club rallies for Ethiopian school meal program
Santa Monica Daily Press · May 8, 2026
Read article
Local teens leverage Santa Monica community for a global impact
Santa Monica Daily Press · April 28, 2025
Read article
Santa Monica to Shanghai
Santa Monica Daily Press
Read article
From LA to Shanghai: Jetlag’s Jazz Journey
Green Bazaar
Read article
Princeton AI4ALL · July 2025
08 / LEARNING + EXPLORATION
Following curiosity across disciplines.
At Princeton AI4ALL, I explored how artificial intelligence can help analyze biodiversity; at Carleton CLAE, I learned in a collaborative liberal arts community. Years of Latin led me deeper into Classics and to Rome and Sicily, where ancient history became a lived landscape. UCLA Global Jazz expanded how I listen, improvise and collaborate across musical traditions.
09 / CURRENTLY
What’s in
my orbit.
A changing snapshot of the books, music, food and art keeping me curious right now.
READING
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
LISTENING TO
MF DOOM
MM..FOOD
EATING
Slippery shrimp from Yang Chow
SEEING
The art filled walls leading to the Vatican
Vatican Museums photograph: Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 PL. Album, book and restaurant images shown for identification.