What do you do in your home country and what do you hope to do upon your return? In particular, with the integration of your experiences here?

I am a medical doctor practicing at one of the district hospitals in Ethiopia which is located in a conflict zone. I treat patients and my clinical practices specialize in HIV care. I am currently head of the HIV unit at my hospital. I work with a team of volunteer doctors and what we do is travel to marginalized areas of Ethiopia, to prisons and refugee camps, and provide free medical care.

Going back to Ethiopia, I want to continue doing the same thing but with expanded energy and motivation and use the leadership qualities that I will learn about while I am here.

What is your favorite thing about your home country? How about Philadelphia?

My favorite thing about Ethiopia is the diversity. We have like 86 different cultures and something like 56 different languages. When I am able to travel to different communities for my work and learn about the different cultures it is always very enjoyable, so I enjoy that diversity. And the food!

What I like about Philadelphia is I like the people, everyone is so kind and caring. I also like the history of the city and the historical locations that we have visited.

Do you have any hobbies or an interesting fact you wish to share about yourself?

I like football [soccer] and was actually able to play with some Drexel students here.

If I were to come to your home country, what is the first thing I should eat?

I would say Kitfo – it is a chopped raw meat. It is kind of strange for many people but I like it. That is my favorite food.