Bonjour! Hola! Nǐ Hǎo! Konnichiwa! Asalaam alaikum! Annyeonghaseyo! Tena Yestelgne! Namaste! Hallo!
Hello! My name is Naomi Kebede, a first-year student at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia. My academic trajectory aligns with a future double major in International Relations and Computer Science, with a possible minor in French. My past, my roots, all begins on a single continent, in the country of Ethiopia. I am a first-generation Ethiopian-American immigrant, due to the fact that I have not been to Ethiopia in 17 years and became an American citizen 3 years ago. After arriving in America, I have taken permanent residence in the beautiful city of Duluth, where one can find me spending time with my wonderful, big family. Inspired by my international experience traveling to Ethiopia and Eritrea , I worked as a language translator for newly arrived immigrant families to help them settle in the United States, where I procured an interest in immigration and refugee policy. I aspire to pursue a career in international affairs and have a possible career working at the United Nations or volunteering in the Peace Corps, where I hope to help craft effective immigration and refugee policy. When I’m not busy partaking in multilingual learning or my academic studies, I enjoy reading and writing poetry and short stories.
My StrengthsFinder test revealed that my top five themes are as follows: Context, Input, Connectedness, Adaptability, and Restorative. A quote that I find absolutely endearing and powerful is one from Nelson Mandela, “If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.” I apply this quote to the aspect of humanity that lies in us all, and to always speak to others whom may be alienated from society and treat them with a beautiful state of grace and compassion. I found this experience to illustrate the theme of Connectedness in my top five strengths. In my work as a translator and volunteer for many organizations, I see this theme manifest in my desire to be in the comfort of people utilizing my talents and helping them understand their connection to all of humanity without the barriers of language. I believe communication is the golden thread woven into all of us and one just has to find it. This is why I also would want people to see the Connectedness theme in me the most. This way they will see that my work style in a group is to focus on every individual and understand their needs and goals, and how they connect with the group as a whole. All in all, my strength in connectedness underlines my hope to work with individuals in my career path in International Relations and Computer Science.
