Petrose, of Laurel, Maryland, earned her degrees in neuroscience and economics from Pitt in 2017. She was born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and immigrated to the United States when she was 12. In a release from the university, Honors College Dean Brian Primack said he was "absolutely thrilled for Lia."
"The festivities began with a ceremony at the Debre Genet Medhane Alem Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in Temple Hills, Md. In an incense-filled sanctuary, guests in stockinged feet watched as at least 13 priests and clergymen helped officiate the Ethiopian Orthodox ceremony between Mr. Makonnen and Ms. Austin, who just days before had converted to the religion. Hours after the ceremony, the pair celebrated with a formal reception at Foxchase Manor in Manassas, Va., with 307 guests, amid gold sequins, platters of Ethiopian food and preboxed slices of Guyanese black cake for people to take home."
