She completed her doctorate in International Development at the University of Oxford in 2016. Her research examined the ways in which people of Ethiopian descent born and/or raised in Canada and the U.S. construct a diasporic identity and engage with Ethiopian development initiatives through a mutually constitutive process. She has spent several years as an international and community development practitioner, with a focus on youth engagement and education. Alpha is also a photographer and makes use of natural light and lines to bring life to the subjects in her work, whether they be people, landscapes or mundane objects. Her art, advocacy, and academic work are all informed and strengthened by each other.