Meet Teshome

The first student we have had the privilege to help through the Larry and Chris Porter Memorial Scholarship Program is Teshome Alemayehu. He is a very intelligent, hard working and caring man who we had the joy of working with in Mekele, Tigrai. His autobiography follows:

    
     My name is Teshome Alemayehu. I am 35. I was born and grew up in Mekelle, a small town in the north end of Ethiopia. I am the third child to my family. I am friendly hardworking & optimist one. When I was 8 years old, I began my primary school education and learned from first to tenth grade in Seventh Day Adventist School. During those years I was clever, competent and had a good vision. After attending high school education for two years in a public school, I joined Abbi Adi College of Teachers’ Education & graduated in teaching English for academic purpose with very great distinction. Then I searched for a job in various private schools to work as an English teacher & I was hired for nearly four years in Kassatie Birhan & Merha Tibeb complete primary schools respectively.

     During those years I tried my best to support my two younger siblings and my mother financially,  save some money and applied to Mekelle  University in order to resume  my Bachelor’s degree education  in the same field in summer program and again I graduated with very great distinction. And I was promoted to work as both an English teacher for high school students & a school principal as well at Merha Tibeb Academy. However the salary I used to get paid couldn’t help me to cover both my daily needs and post-graduate program payment as well. Since 2010 I was trying my best to find ways I can put myself in post graduate program and earn my Master’s degree  and improve myself and my family’s future.

     Thank God, Ted and Jane Scheuermann came to Ethiopia last year. We worked together in the same school for some time; they learned that I had strong desire to learn my Master’s degree. As result, they motivated, encouraged & helped me both psychologically and money-wise to attend my post graduate study in Mekelle University in Environmental Anthropology in 2011. May God bless them with health & long life. I’m now attending my second term post graduate studies in a regular program sponsored by them.

     I belong to a medium size family. My father’s name is Alemayehu, he was a soldier. He was kind wise, hardworking and extremely caring. During the times he was alive he taught us good life skills, advised us to study our lessons, and work hard in order to achieve our goals and to live a better life. My mother’s name is Birhan; she is a wise, hardworking and far-sighted woman. She took care of everything we needed until we started managing our lives well. I believe that our mother is our heroine, for she has brought us up well, being both our dad and mom. I have two sisters and three brothers.  My father passed away in 1991 when I was in grade three. Since then life became challenging and my mother was determined to take all responsibilities to bring us up . . . and she did. We helped our mother by buying and selling things every day after school.

     I am married. My wife’s name is Lemlem  Gebrelibanos. She is 31. She was born and grew up in Eritrea; however she returned to Ethiopia in 2001 because of the border conflict. She is a high school graduate and has taken a six-month training class on how to make shoes and wallets, but so far she hasn’t found work. I have a son and a daughter: my son’s name is Lewwi and he is nine and my daughter’s name is Fiona and she is six. Both go to grade three and grade one respectively. I love them very much.

     My dream is to complete my Master’s degree, get employed as a lecturer at Mekelle University or work at an NGO (non-governmental organization, AKA non-profit organization) , help my family and someone who needs support like  I was  supported By Ted and Jane, and later earn my PhD.

May God bless us all with peace, love, & healthy long life!

Teshome Alemayehu