Date: Friday, 18 May 2018
SUCCESS AGAINST ALL ODDS: INSPIRATION
FOR OUR ERITREAN YOUTH IN DIASPORAS
Dr. Tesfa G. Gebremedhin.
West Virginia University
Eritreans in Diasporas have diverse educational and career background. The majority of us came to North America, Europe, Australia, Middle East, and some African countries as refugees and we are mostly engaged in labor-intensive work. The rest few of us who came on scholarship for educational opportunities are scholars engaged in professional jobs. Most Eritrean parents in Diasporas who came as refugees, did not have the opportunity to earn college education. Obviously, they could not have the necessary skills to acquire decent jobs. They did not have choices except being forced to work odd jobs, drive old cars, and live in government supported low-income houses in order to survive and raise their children. If the younger generation do not go to college and earn college education and acquire the necessary skills, they may end up in a similar situation as their parents
Our children are raised in different households with varied career backgrounds and life experiences. We have children who have gone off track and many of them hold the same kind of odd jobs as their parents. We have also many children who have listened to the good advice of their parents and followed the foot-steps of some Eritrean role models, becoming successful in their professional careers. All our children have the potential to be outstanding scholars and professionals. It is necessary for them to get proper and appropriate guidance at home and in school as well as mentorship and inspiration from Eritrean scholars and professionals who have achieved and secured successful professional careers. It is when successful Eritrean scholars and professionals come back to their community and aspire to become role models to our younger generation that our national identity and cultural heritage are preserved and strengthened. The stories of four Eritreans as significant examples in our time are narrated below. They are just handpicked from among many extraordinary Eritreans, who boldly denied the odds to find success in life.
Dr.
Gebremeskel Habteyonas Gebremariam is one typical example who
succeeded in his professional career against all odds. He is the son
of a farming family and had to face the loss of his dear mother at a
very young age. He had to combine school and farming activities in
his early life. He had to travel 20 km round trip from the farm to
school. Dr. Gebre, as a young boy, has also educated himself behind
bars during his 12 years of incarceration as an Eritrean Prisoner of
War in an Ethiopian Maximum Security Prison called “Alem Bekagn,”
which literally means “farewell
to the life in this world.”
Life in prison was very precarious for him because he had to live
under the constant shadow of death. His life is an inspiring story to
tell and learn. It is a story about how he survived and stood up
above the extraordinarily hostile prison environment and yet was able
to spear-head and start a school without the necessary classrooms,
school supplies and teaching materials where he educated himself and
several fellow prisoners to obtain his High School education inside
the prison. It is a story about how he was able to score the highest
record, with 11 A’s and 2 B’s, in the Ethiopian School Leaving
Certificate Examination. That record still stands the highest ever to
this day. It is also a story about how “grit” fueled by a sense
of purpose and anchored on conviction, self-evaluation, and sheer
determination helped him develop a teachable perspective and
character. All these attributes were instrumental not only in helping
him survive his lengthy incarceration under the threat of death
for 12 years, but also learn from his fellow prisoners through
“peer-driven” and “self-teaching” learning endeavors. After
he was released from the prison, he returned to Eritrea and resumed
his college education at Asmara University. After earning his
bachelor degree and working one year as a graduate assistant, he went
to Scotland to do his M.S. degree at the University of Strathclyde.
He returned to Asmara University and taught for three years before he
joined West Virginia University for his Ph.D. degree. After
completing his degree program he was hired to his current professor
of Economics position at Virginia Tech University. Dr. Gebre has
received numerous awards and recognition for teaching and research
over the years. He has established a high standard for success. His
far-sighted vision and success in his professional career against all
odds is an inspiration for our Eritrean youth.
Yohannes
Tsegay Berhe is one typical example who succeeded in life and
education against all odds. He is the son of an ordinary
self-employed and well-respected priest-father and a wonderful
mother. After completing 9th grade in Asmara, he joined the Eritrean
People’s Liberation Front when he was just 16 years of age. He was
trained and assigned to serve at the frontline of the fighting army
as a member of the medical team. He was severely injured during the
sixth offence (the so-called Ethiopian Red Terror). He lost one of
his legs which is amputated above the knee. The injury also left him
with the loss of hearing on one side and other subsequent physical
disabilities. As a result, he had to endure a debilitating pain and
sufferings for many years. Since his injury was very critical, he had
to stay under close medical treatment in the Front hospital for two
years. He had gone through ten intensive surgical operations inside
Eritrea and abroad. When he was under medical treatment in the
hospital, he collected reading materials of high school subject
matters and he read them to educate himself. After his recovery of
some of his medical problems, he was assigned to work with the
Eritrean Relief Agency (ERA). After the national independence of
Eritrea, he started to attend 10th
grade in the evening class at Keren High School, but he was later
informed to discontinue his study. At the same time, he was admitted
to study college education by correspondence with the University of
London. He received financial support from the Band-Aide to cover his
tuition expenses for the correspondence. At the same time, he
took and successfully passed the college entrance examination and he
was admitted to Asmara University. Instead, he decided to
pursue his education through correspondence and successfully
completed his B.A. and M.S. degrees both in Agricultural
Economic Development. While he was working with ERA, he was involved
in research which was supported by Lead University. In 2000, he went
to Lead University for some research conference and decided to remain
in the UK. While he was there, he studied Accounting Finance
and received a B.A. degree from South UK University and worked as an
Accountant Technician for a while until he developed himself to
Information Technology (IT) and became self-employed in this area of
expertise. Yohannes is a self-motivator and dedicated to serve his
Eritrean community. He possesses a strong sense of purpose and
pursues the responsibility and devotion to become a person of great
service to the Eritrean society by developing a very proactive
website called SNITNA.COM. He is a real textbook fighter to stand up
strong and courageously pushing through his physical pains and
sufferings and his every day emotional and psychological issues. His
struggle and endurance against all odds and his utmost determination
and aspiration for success makes him an inspiration for our younger
generation in Diasporas.
Another
typical example who became successful against all odds is a 38
year-old actress and comedian named Tiffany Haddish. She is one of
the many rising and shining stars in the entertainment industry to
represent the State of Eritrea. The story of her life can be narrated
by the glorious successes achieved and lessons learned. Tiffany is an
inspiring example of perseverance and resilience through many
difficult life experiences. She was born and raised in
Los Angeles. Her father is an immigrant from Eritrea and her mother
is an African-American. Tiffany’s early life involved profound
hardships and difficulties. Her father left Tiffany's family when she
was just three years old. Her mother later remarried and had more
children, before suffering from a traumatic brain injury due to a
serious car accident. When Tiffany was ten years old, she was taking
care of herself and her younger siblings as their mother became
abusive and struggled with mental illness which was caused by the car
accident. The family was broken and the children were separated.
Tiffany spent many years in foster care, living in different group
homes. She was being abused before being put under the care of her
kind grandmother to whom she is very grateful. Although she had
troubles in school and challenges with reading, she graduated from
high school and gained an interest in acting and comedy. She survived
homelessness and kept her head above the water by working various odd
jobs and struggled to find opportunities to better her life. With an
unwavering persistence, Tiffany did not let her treacherous
circumstance or horrible past experiences hold her back from pursuing
herd dreams of being a famous comedian and superb actress in movies
and hosting events. She instead boldly incorporated her hardships
into her jokes and stories to connect with other people. The strength
of Tiffany’s character and her ability to make others laugh is a
culmination of the challenges in her past and how those have shaped
the person she is today. Despite the difficulties and hardships at
her young age, she is able to stand out in the crowd and harvest the
fruits of success from her tenacious struggle. Her utmost
determination and desire to excel stood firm and strong against all
odds and her success in life has become an inspiration to our
Eritrean youth.
Another
very typical example who aggressively fought against all odds to
achieve success in life is a 30 year-old scholar named Haben Girma.
She is the daughter of immigrant parents from Eritrea to the United
States. Haben is the first deaf-blind person to graduate from
Harvard Law School, earning her J.D. with Honors. It has been
revealed that Haben attributes her success in her professional career
and activism to her brave and dear mother. She benefited from civil
rights laws including the Americans with Disabilities Act. Haben
advocates and advances for equal opportunities for people with
disabilities. President Obama named her a White House Champion of
change. Because of her disability advocacy, she has been honored by
President Obama, President Clinton, and many others. Haben has been
featured extensively in media around the world, including BBC, NBC,
Forbes, NPR, and many others. Haben is also writing a memoir that
will be published by Grand Central Publishing in 2019. She has
traveled to Africa and other places. She offers diversity training,
consulting, and professional speaking services. Haben combines her
knowledge of law, sociology, and technology to provide her
professional services. She is the kind of person who has the courage
to refuse to compromise with her disability. She has realized from
the very beginning of her life that there was no easy way out of her
disability except to challenge and combat it with confidence, courage
and strong discipline. Haben has proven to all of us that any
physical disability can be tolerated and challenged with vigor and
zeal, while arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy, bigotry, negative
attitudes, moral disorders, and behavioral disturbances are the worst
mentally related disabilities. Despite the fact that she is physical
challenged, Haben is the most prominent scholar in her professional
career who received the Helen Keller Achievement Award from the
American Foundation for the Blind. . Her successful struggle against
her unique disability makes her to be an outstanding role model for
the Eritrean youth of her age group and younger generation.
People always try to be prepared for disasters even in a war but sometimes, we find ourselves in situations we least expect to happen like being captured in a war; incarcerated in a prison cell; or severely injured in a battle field; or born with some unique disabilities; or even neglected by our birth parents at childhood. During these hard times, our will to survive is seriously tested. We have heard of many heroic stories like the stories narrated above. These four heroes have been in trying situations where no one would expect them to come out alive and achieve their dreams. Having an extraordinary determination to survive and succeed, they have looked far beyond their obstacles and limitations and listened to the words of encouragement and hope of our cultural wisdom which says, “Winners never quit and quitters never win.” Our younger generation must be encouraged to follow and act the same way when their hearts and minds become cluttered, confused, or filled with their doubts and fears in their struggle for success in life. The stories of the four Eritreans are incredible and define motivation and inspiration for our younger generation and encourage them to never give up no matter how high the odds are stacked against them. No matter how chilling and challenging the forces and constraints that play against their desires and wishes, they need to have the courage to confront the problems independently instead of depending on someone else. Their own parents may attempt to bail them out when the children are simply sitting on the sideline and watch the time go bye in despair. It is essential to believe that every one of them has a unique expertise that enable the person to excel in life. It is also necessary they believe they can be whatever they want to be with the will and desire to pursue their career and have a productive and happy life. When they believe in their capability, believe in it all the way. It is obvious that there are always obstacles and roadblocks along the way. But if they face them with confidence, determination, and discipline, success is inevitable.
It is far more common that our younger generation have to overcome many obstacles and suffer some pains before achieving success. They must be taught starting from childhood to dare to be great and at the same time they must realize that greatness is the fruit of toil, sacrifice and high courage. It is evident that they will have hard times on the way, but it will always shake and wake them up to explore and develop their potential expertise. The bigger their dreams, the tougher their challenge, the more ambitious their goals, the more likely it is that they will face difficulties in their way towards achieving their dreams. Though they have to face bumpy roads, they need to stick to whatever they tried long enough for their effort to work. The courage and persistence to keep going on is powered by their purpose and strength. Since success is the sum of small efforts, it does not matter how slowly they go so long as they do not stop or quit on the way. They also need to remember that a dead fish floats down to the bottom of a stream while a living fish floats up to the top of a stream. Our children need to act like the living fish to swim up to the top by tackling any obstacles on the way. People who succeed against the odds all have something in common; they all have determination, persistence and perseverance to accomplish their goal. What our children need are mentors or role models to raise or pick them up and inspire them and give them impulses to grow up great and achieve their potentials. All our younger generation need somebody to lift their spirit and pull them up so that they can spread their wings and fly or stand strong and powerful to make their dreams to happen with great success. Our children may be surrounded by thorns and weeds, or they may grow up in a contaminated or polluted environment or community that pull them down in life. They need to understand that success is not measured by what they accomplish, but by the kind of hurdles and obstacles they encountered, and the courage with which they have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds
It is quite clear that our children may aspire for success. A few successes may happen by mere chance. But they have to realize that if they wait for that chance to happen, good things will happen to them only when they are in their graves because good things to happen may take their time and effort. To wait for the miracle of success to happen by chance is just like waiting for food to come by itself to an open mouth. When people live and wait for success to happen by chance, they also live in fear and anxiety. When they live by intent, purpose and courage, it does not matter what is happening or not happening at least they are in control of what is happening to them. It is quite alright if they fail down 100 times in the day, it is 100 lessons learned. A certain earthworm was trying to climb on the stem of a tree. The worm tried six times and failed six times. The worm did not give up and tried for the seventh time. Finally, the worm succeeded. Winston Churchill is quoted as saying, “Success is not final, and failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” There are numerous people in history whose struggles against all odds are proof of extraordinary courage they possessed. Even when every circumstance was screaming at them to quit and give up, these Eritreans - Dr. Gebre, Tiffany, Yohannes, Haben, and many others prevailed and turned their days of adversity into a wonderful success. The lifetime treasured memories of their demonstrations of struggle for success against all odds are resourceful lessons to learn. The fact of the matter is that if these four Eritreans and others can be successful under challenging situations, then there is no reason or even excuse why our younger generation cannot be successful under comfortable situations. They just need to work on their attitudes, motivation and aspiration. Our children should not let the obstacles in their lives discourage them from accomplishing their desired goals. Our younger generation should be encouraged to be confident and never give up on what they really want to do. It is often the last key in their efforts that usually opens the door to success. They may encounter tough times, but the difficulties which they face will make them more determined and committed to win and succeed against all odds. They just need to remember that success is what happens after they have survived against all odds and every skill they acquire doubles their odds of success.
Thus, we need to understand that people tend to think and work together in collaboration as people of diverse ethnicity, gender, age, professional expertise, political affiliation, and religious beliefs come together and interact with each other and know each other. We should be aware that it takes the whole village to raise and nurture a child with the necessary guidance and encouragement so that the child will be successful in life. It is evident that we cannot raise heroes, but we can raise sons and daughters. If we properly and appropriately raise and treat them like sons and daughters, they can turn out to be heroes. To do so, we need to restore our ‘people to people’ culture because our cultural and traditional values are based on passion and moral obligation for serving our fellow Eritrean. We need to rebuild our dysfunctional Eritrean communities and strengthen our religious institutions and lay a strong foundation and conducive environment for our younger generation to be able to absorb and embrace our cultural heritage and honor and cherish our Eritrean identity. Remember that life is really a mystery, when we struggle against all odds and against all logic, we still hope for sweet success and happiness in life.