More About Meresiet
Meresiet Hailu Tekle
Meresiet is excited to go to high school because, “I heard that we will have lessons supported by different types of technology. Also, in high school all of our subjects are taught in English. I am looking forward to improving my English speaking, writing and reading. I am excited to move to a new town and see what it is like to live in a bigger town with new people and new stores.
Name: Meresiet Hailu Tekle
What her name means in Tigrigna (local language): “to move forward”
Gender: Female
Age: 15
Birthday: (DMY: 08/05/1990 EC)
Hometown: Gerawo, Tigray, Ethiopia
Former elementary school: Adi Awena Grade 1-8 Community School
Distance between hometown and nearest high school: 25 km
High school she is attending: Adigudom Senior Secondary School
Academic record: Meresiet was fifth in her Grade 8 class. Her average was 80.1%.
Favorite subject(s): Physics and Math
Extracurricular activities and leadership positions in Grade 8: Member of the Science Lab Club, Committee for Children’s Rights in the Student Parliament, Vice Chairperson of Girls’ Club, Classroom Monitor, member of the volleyball team, member of Anti-HIV/AIDS Club.
Challenges encountered during elementary school: “I had to drop out of school after Grade 2 because my parents did not want me to go to school, they wanted me to look after our animals and cook. Over the next two years I was able to convince them to allow me to return to school by explaining how I could go to school and complete my household chores at the same time. I also have a large family and so it was often a struggle to convince them that we should spend the little money we have on my notebooks and pens.”
In 10 years Meresiet wants to be a physicist because, “I want to be a professor of Physics and Math at a university. It is my favorite subject and interests me a lot.”
Favorite quote: “A home without a mother is like a dark forest.”
Role model: “I admire my Physics teacher because he is very smart but he also cares for his students. He pays attention to us and makes sure that he answers all of the questions that we have. He makes physics practically applicable to our lives and he uses his free time to give us tutorial classes.”
Favorite celeb: Dirartolu – female Ethiopian runner.
Hobbies and interests: Cultivating and watering plants, constructing and decorating School Club offices.
Family: “I am the fourth oldest child in our family and I have six brothers and sisters. My older sister is in Grade 12 and my vision is to follow in her footsteps and complete my education as well. Even though we struggle to have money and our farmland is very small my parents insist that all of the children in our family go to school. Right now my parents work on our farmland and trade the cereals that our crops produce. My father also works as a daily labourer on different construction projects.”
Family’s skills for potential income generation activities: trading cereals, micro-irrigation to grow vegetables, poultry, animal fattening and animal breeding.
What her mother thinks about her daughter having the opportunity to go to high school: “Since we are living a very traditional lifestyle Meresiet will learn new ways of life and share them with us. This will improve the way we live. She will also have her own life, she will be independent and she will start to take steps towards achieving the vision she has for her life.”
