Mesay was born in 2015. She joined the PATH International Community Based Care Program in 2023.

Mesay Akalu was in the third group of Community Based Care (CBC) students in Ethiopia, joining PATH in 2023. She was 8 years old when she joined PATH, and she is the youngest of 4 children, living with her 2 older brothers and older sister. Mesay enjoys studying social studies at school, and when she's home, she likes to play a traditional jump rope game with her friends. Her mother, Mimi Tilahun, came into the program at 37 with no former education. When she receives business training from PATH, she hopes to begin selling vegetables, spices, and Injera to support her family.