Make a difference. These three words have been my life motto ever since I can remember. I was born and raised in Ethiopia, an ancient East African country that is one of the poorest countries in the world. Even at a young age, I knew that whatever I end up doing with my life, it had to somehow be geared towards making a difference, particularly in Ethiopia. However, to make this dream a reality I needed two things; means and opportunity. This scholarship has given me the opportunity to find the means in which I am going to make my impact.
Currently, I am planning to major in political science (possibly economics as well) and minor in journalism. Because I believe that fixing the political and socio-economic crisis in Ethiopia is the first step towards restoring Ethiopia it to its former glory, I plan to either go to law school right after Allegheny or take a couple of years off and work (preferably for a non-profit or think tank) to get life experience and a little perspective since my end goal is to start a foundation. I try to be as involved as possible on campus. I am the Fundraising and Publicity Chair for Lambda Sigma Sophomore Honor Society and the Publicity Chair for the Association for the Advancement of Black Culture (ABC). I am also a part of African Students Association (ASA), the International Club, and the South Asian Club (SAC), and I occasionally write for The Campus newspaper. In addition, I work for Spiritual and Religious Life as the program intern, which means I plan events and help with office work.
I was initially incredibly nervous about coming to Allegheny. Leaving everyone and everything I knew behind was daunting. But it has been an amazing journey; I always say that I have learned more in this past year than I have all my high school years combined. Leaving the comfort of home and my family and coming to a strange place has matured me and has made me a more well-rounded person. It has been an eye-opener; taught me to think and helped me frame the scattered ideas I had for what I wanted to do in the future into a general plan. Don’t get me wrong — I am still not 100% sure what I want my life to look like exactly, but that’s the point. The whole reason I value a liberal arts education so much is because it allows me to pursue my passion as well as try different things, learn more about other fields and even broaden my hobbies — which includes photography, something I could never pursue alongside political science in Ethiopia or universities that aren’t liberal arts — meet people with such diverse backgrounds that every conversation is enlightening and have opportunities I wouldn’t have otherwise.
All of this would not have been possible if not for scholarship support, so I just really wanted to thank you. If not for your contribution, I would not be a step closer in making my dreams come true. My parents also wanted to extend their thanks, in their words “በጣም እናመሠግናለን፤ እግዚአቤር ይባርክሽ።” which roughly translated means “Thank you so much and God bless.” You have helped make not only my dreams, but their dreams come true too.
Thank you,
Lidia Gebrekirstos ’21