Originally from Ethiopia, Eyakem Gulilat obtained his BAS in Interdisciplinary Studies of Photojournalism and Art from Abilene Christian University and his MFA in Media Arts from the University of Oklahoma. In 2004, he was selected to participate in the Eddie Adams Workshop and was awarded the 45th annual Randolph William Hearst Award in the Portrait, Personality and Feature competition that same year. In 2005 he participated in the McNair’s Scholar’s Program and presented his research at the 13th annual McNair’s Scholar’s conference at Penn State University. Gulilat’s work has been exhibited across the U.S., at venues including Vermont Photo Space Gallery (Essex, VT), Colorado Photographic Arts Center (Denver, CO), and Urban Roots (Oklahoma City), among others. His work is in several private and public collections. In 2011, Gulilat received the National Photography Fellowship Award from the Center for Photography in Wichita, Kansas; he was selected to participate as artist in residence at the Center for photography in Woodstock, New York. Along with these accomplishments, he has also volunteered as an instructor to Native American high school students at Oakerhater Art Camp in Watonga, Oklahoma and has juried the annual art competition at Rose State Community College. As a recipient of the 2011 Oklahoma Visual Arts Fellowship, Gulilat is currently working on a photography project entitled "Collaborative Self" while holding an adjunct position at the University of Central Oklahoma.