Hermon and Heroda

Biography

Hermon and Heroda Berhane, identical twin sisters from Eritrea, count Haben Girma as their current role models. Girma became the first deaf-blind graduate of Harvard Law School in 2013.

“She is living proof that if you are determined enough and if you try hard enough, you will be successful,” Hermon tells British Vogue. “When we’re complaining or thinking of an excuse about why we can’t do or accomplish something, we always think of Haben, because her story gives us the inspiration we need to push through.”

Hermon and Heroda, of fashion-meets-travel blog Being Her, aren’t that too dissimilar to Girma. Having moved to the UK with their parents and brother when they were young, they left war-torn Eritrea for a better education.

But their memories of their home country are “wonderful”. “We had a happy childhood like most children. Everything was perfect,” Heroda recalls. “Before we became deaf, we remember the sound of church bells, chickens clucking, adult conversations – but sadly, we also remember the sounds of civil war in Eritrea.

We remember gunshots and explosions; they were so loud it sometimes felt like it was happening in the next room. Several times, we had to hide in the bathroom to protect ourselves, and it was terrifying.”