Shabait.com: ‘I become very much happy when I observe people getting proud of me”

‘I become very much happy when I observe people getting proud of me”

Articles - Q & A

Q:- Could you please introduce us about yourself?

My name is Bizen Woldemicael Woldemariam. I was born in 1989 in Emni-Haili, Southern region. I was enrolled in elementary school at my late age in 1999.

Q:- You started to go to school when you were ten years old. Why late?

At that time there were very few schools in the whole sub-zone. And they couldn’t accommodate all the children in the sub-zone. Every family had the chance to send one child to school. Moreover, the schools were very far from my village, and as a child I could not walk all the way to school and come back home. Luckily one person opened a kind of private school nearby my village. The school fee has been not more than five Nakfa. I joined in that school and with the help of elder brother who had the chance to go to school I started doing well. However, the school has been a kind of kindergarten and I could not go further.

Q:- What did you do then?

I went to Massawa where my sister was living. There I joined Semien School as first grader. I remember the first day I went to school, our teacher asked us to write Tigrigna alphabets and I wrote them all. My teacher got surprised and she took me to the director. I was immediately promoted to grade two. I learned in the second grade for only one day and I was promoted again to grade three. I learned there up to grade four and later I came to Asmara and I joined Adulis School. From there I went back to my home village and started my education at Kudo-Abu’ur.

Q:- How was your school performance?

The first year I stood third. But later throughout my schooling I was price winner.

Q:- What was the secret for your success in school?

The influence of my siblings helped me a great deal. My brother Girmai has been advising me to study. He was a good student. My sister was also good student. And I convinced myself that if all my siblings are good in school why not me?

Q:- Why were all you siblings good at school?

It was because of my mother. She was illiterate but very much interested in education. She used to encourage us.

Q:- Did you repay her?

Not as she deserves. But she was glad to see my brother Girmai graduate in Civil Engineering, my sister Abrehet in Clinical Laboratory science and me in Public Health. To date I am working at the Ministry of Health at Environmental Health Division Occupational Health and Safety.

Q:- What point did you get in your matriculation exam?

I got C in English and because of that my GPA was 3.6. I didn’t get the chance to develop my spoken English and because of that my English matriculation exam result was C.

Q:- But you graduated with Great Distinction in college?

You are right! But had it not been from the low result I was getting in English the result would have been different.

Q:- You have great confidence. How is that?

You are telling me that. But I know I speak my mind as long as I believe I am right. But I don’t know how I developed that.

Q:- Why did you take Public Health?

When I was at my secondary school education I had the chance of taking short course as Health Promoter. That motivated me to join Public Health.

Q:- What is your future plan?

If I got the chance to take master’s degree in Epidemiology.

Q:- I wish you good luck!