More About Birhan
Birhan Tesfay Zewelday
Birhan is excited to go to high school because, “I will be able to give 100% of my attention to my studies because I won’t have any chores or responsibilities at home. I am excited to use a bigger library with more reference books and to learn how to use a computer. We don’t have electricity in my home but they will have it at the school so I will be able to study at night.”
Name: Birhan Tesfay Zewelday
What her name means in Tigrigna (local language): “Light”
Gender: Female
Age: 14
Birthday: (DMY: 05/09/1989 EC)
Hometown: Adi Dungola
Former elementary school: Sebebera Grade 1-8 Community School
Distance between hometown and nearest high school: A 10km trek up and down a very tall mountain range (approximately 2.5 hours each direction).
High school she is attending: Esra Adi Secondary School
Academic record: Birhan was one of the top six students from Grade 1 to Grade 8. In Grade 8 she was ranked 5th and had an academic average of 77%.
Favorite subject(s): Geography
Extracurricular activities and leadership positions in Grade 8: Anti-HIV/AIDS Club member, Girls’ Club member, Civics and Ethics Club leader, Culture and Literature Vice Chairperson, Classroom Monitor, member of the Pedagogical Center Club.
Challenges encountered during elementary school: “I have to walk a long distance to get to school each day and boys along the way will bother me. They call me names and throw stones at me. It is frustrating. Last year I was asked by a man for my hand in marriage but I refused him because I wanted to stay in school. My parents tried to force me to marry him but in the end I overcame them and was able to reject him.”
In 10 years Birhan wants to be a doctor because, “I want to protect women from HIV/AIDS and one day want to find the cure for the disease.”
Favorite quote: “The wise person knows that he doesn’t know.”
Role model: “My teachers because they help me to learn and assist me in setting up my vision for my life. They have helped me to outline the steps I need to take to become a doctor. Because of them I believe that I can achieve my goals.”
Favorite celeb: Keneneesa – the Ethiopian runner
Hobbies and interests: “I enjoy making peace between people by solving conflicts. I also enjoy tutoring my classmates and helping them to understand the material we learn in class.”
Family: “My family has nine people in it. I have seven siblings and a mother and father. I am the oldest child in my family so I am the first to go to high school. My mother completed Grade 3 but then she married my father, who had never gone to school at all. Four of my younger siblings are going to elementary school and I hope that one day they will join me in high school. My family has one cow and one ox which we use to plow our hectare piece of farmland. We grow cereals on our land which we eat for the rest of the year.”
Family’s skills for potential income generation activities: Animal fattening, beekeeping, animal breeding, raising chickens.
What her father, Tesfay, thinks about her having the opportunity to go to high school: “I appreciate this opportunity very much. Many people have asked us if they can marry her. If she hadn’t been given this chance to continue studying we would have had to make her marry someone. But now she can continue her education and reach her goals. She will be a role model for our family and for our community. There haven’t been any girls from our community that have gone to high school because their parents feared that they would be sexually assaulted along the way. She will be the first to go and I know she will succeed.”
What her homeroom teacher, Destalemu, is saying about her: “Birhan is a very active member of all parts of school life. Her attention to her studies is impressive and because she does so well she is an example for the girls at our school. They look up to her and respect her. She is a leader here in both academics and activities. I expect that she will continue to be a role model for many people throughout her life.
