Tell me about yourself.
I was actually born in Ethiopia, and I moved to the states when I was fairly young. I went to Enloe Magnet High School in Raleigh, and I always had a feeling I would go to UNCG for college. I applied to six schools and got accepted into all of them, but I had a gut feeling that UNCG was for me. Being awarded two scholarships – the Board of Visitors Scholarship and the Betsy Umstead Undergraduate Scholarship – sealed the deal for me. I’m a first-generation college student and also a Pell-grant recipient. I grew up eating reduced lunch and my parents worked really hard, so to have these scholarships and not have to worry about a financial burden on me or my family is huge.
But regardless, I feel like UNCG is a hidden gem. We’re a community-based school, and the student body is so diverse. I went to a diverse high school, so coming here felt like home, and it gave me the opportunity to interact with so many people that don’t look like me and don’t have the same hobbies or interests as me.