Immigrant Reflections: From Rural Ethiopia to American Dream

I was born in a run down hospital in the middle of Nazareth, Ethiopia. My family immigrated to The United States of America when I was four. This fact plays a pivotal role in who I perceive myself to be and how I carry myself. The first few years of my life are incumbent in my memory and have an effect on my continual thoughts. To me, coming to America meant opportunities that are not present in a third world country. I am a foreigner whose parents decided to plant the seeds of tomorrow in a distant but propitious land. As a direct result of their initiative, we have found ourselves flourishing in this non-native land we have come to call home.
To make a better life for ourselves we must sacrifice comfort. To give a better life for our loved ones we must sacrifice routine. My parents left all that they ever knew and submersed themselves in a foreign country because they knew the price of a good education and sought after it for their children. Soon, I began to realize the weight of my life and that i have a purpose on this earth. Everything that I am down to my marrow has weight. My origins are in a rural, destitute village on the north side of Ethiopia. Coming from a substandard town, I want to be of aid to those who were

not fortunate enough to have the same opportunities as me. What keeps me grounded is that I have seen poverty stricken areas and I know I can make something extraordinary out of my life to be of substantial assistance. The meaning behind my life and my choice area of study is to give hope to those who have lost purpose.
From a very young age it was embedded in me that education is the key to happiness. The grave desire to acquire knowledge with zeal is easily attainable to someone who loves learning. For as long as I can remember, I have always been in love with science, not just the bits and pieces of a specific scope but the entire entity. I was raised watching Nova rather than cartoons, so the longing to know more, become more is a very congenital feeling to me. To be blunt, I am infatuated with science. This keen sense of curiosity and passion is the drive I have had since I was a child. Vanderbilt University offers me the platform and community to challenge my intellectual curiosity effectively. A solid foundation is requisite to the longevity of any dream.
Feelings of nostalgia resonate within me from time to time, but I am contempt with my life here in Tennessee.

Every time I go back and visit Ethiopia, I find more understanding into my backstory; as a result, I find more depth into my character. Ethiopia is my birthplace, but America is my home. My background and upbringing keeps me firm on what I want from my life. The power to achieve whatever we desire is within reach of how hard we decide we are going to work. Passion, the simple act of adoring one's work, is vital to a healthy perspective of doing a job. Having a background that is very different than those of my peers is what makes me special. Wherever life takes me I will never forget who I am, where I came from, and why I am

here.