Yohannes Tade, Ethiopia
Pathway to Radiologic Technology
Hi. My name is Yohannes. I am originally born and raised in Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a country that is found in Africa, specifically east Africa. Despite the mental image that people have about Africa, it is not as close as the news or media presents it to be. Coming to a different country and starting a new journey was scary beyond imagination. I came to the States about four years ago. I did not know what to expect, besides the glamorous lifestyle I saw in movies and music videos. Reality and Hollywood were two different things, though. When I was back home, I finished high school and was about to attend university but plans changed, and I had to move to the States. Luckily, Professor Wada’s ESL 185 class was my first college class experience in the U.S. I still remember the feeling like it was yesterday. I remember pulling in the parking lot and getting ready to go to class with confusion and mixed feelings, wondering if every student is lost like me or had everything figured out.
The only way I can express Professor Wada’s class was life changing. No amount of words or description would describe the experience of taking that class. Professor Wada linked the two worlds for me: college life and the outside life. I remember her telling us the gestures, the overall cultural norms of the States from sports to music.
The semester ended [and] we all parted ways, but what I learned in that class will always be with me. I went ahead and finished all my higher English classes with a “B” or better. When I got the email about the certificate, I felt beyond excited. It represented all the hard work I put in to all my college career to get to where I am today. It might be an easy thing for some people, but for a young, black Ethiopian, who came not so long ago to the States with confusion, it represents everything. It represents accomplishment, it represents that we have support too, it represents that all our hard work has value, and it represents that we can aim and execute big too.
Finally, I would like to thank everyone who is involved in creating this certificate and want to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Wada for believing in us and giving this young, black, immigrant kid with confusion in his head at first when he showed up at her class, hope and recognition for his hard work.