Donor Impact
Misikir Wondaferahu Adnew
Misikir Wondaferahu Adnew
Graduation year: 2019
Majors: Health Science and Community Health
Hometown: Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
I was born in Dilla, Ethiopia, and I lived there and a couple of other places during my early years.
My dad received a family scholarship to Fuller Theological Seminary, so we moved to Pasadena, Calif., when I was four. This period was definitely one of my defining moments. I was just learning Amharic before coming to the U.S., and all of a sudden my scenery had changed. I had to get used to the new ways of doing things, but I caught on pretty quickly.
My family went back to Ethiopia when I was about eight and it took me a while to get back to my first way of doing things. It was tough to get used to the language again and catch up on four years' worth of Ethiopian childhood, but I slowly eased in and I thank my parents, relatives and friends for their encouragement. I wonder what would have changed if I did not have that experience. At a young age I learned how to be adaptable, and that became one of my strengths.
I was introduced to Whitworth through a family friend and at the time, I did not have the thought of continuing my education abroad. I didn't know what I wanted to do in college and the U.S. seemed a bit too far. My dad, having had a good experience with Western education, really wanted me to take the same route, and Mom was all for it as well. They both wanted me to have the best that education could offer and a Christian education at that, so that opened a way for me to start my search. Whitworth seemed a good fit for me, and as I looked more into it, I found it more attractive. The beautifully green campus, the small class size and student-faculty ratio, its liberal arts aspect and the like, fit the description of what I was looking for.
Although coming back to the U.S. after 10 years was a tough re-transition, I was able to make it with the support of everyone around me. My professors became my mentors and elders that I could talk to when I needed advice and the friends that I made became my second family – I could call Whitworth home.
As an international student, finances were a huge deciding factor for me. Whitworth gave me the most financial aid, and that was one of the reasons I chose it. I am very grateful for the donors at Whitworth. I am thankful for being given the amazing opportunity to attend a university that I wouldn't have attended if not for the support of the donors. Donors, your generosity has enabled me to pursue my dreams as I continue my schooling in an institution that is truly dedicated to an "education of mind and heart." Thank you for what you are doing for myself and many other students in providing the opportunity to be at Whitworth – a chance that we wouldn't have gotten otherwise. You have been a God-given gift to us, and we are truly grateful.
Being at Whitworth has been a wonderful ride so far and I look forward to what God has planned for me in the next two years towards graduation. In the future I hope to work with international aid organizations or medical missions that support underprivileged areas of the globe, especially my country, Ethiopia, to provide better health care. To do so, I plan to pursue either global health or health care management in graduate school. I hope that, someday, I can serve others with the gifts that God has graciously blessed me with.