Scholarship / Provide a personal statement detailing your personal and/or academic goals [2]

Please provide a personal statement detailing your personal and/or academic goals and how your personal life experience shapes or impacts your hopes for the future.

Finally the long awaited day had come. I was going to start fresh joining high school as top scorer in the entrance exam. I waked up early in the morning. I helped my mom preparing meal for the family. After a while, the whole family gathered around the table to have breakfast as usual. Nonetheless, this one was with bad news. My dad diagnosed with leg muscle problem told us he won't be teaching in the weekends since the doctors advised him to get enough rest, leaving one of us to drop out of school. Passing through the big gate of my new school as if I paid the tuition, I headed straight to the notice board looking for solutions. Fortunately, I came across to two new posts, first is competition for scholarship funded by local bank, the other is job vacancy for students as chemistry lab assistant in a middle school. I succeeded in winning both of them. After two weeks I got a night job in tobacco cigarette factory as furnace feeder.

After all, one has to pass the hard times to eat the fruits of life. Although working these jobs and learning at the same time is so exasperating, it have paid off well. These jobs propelled me to become a caring, hardworking and dependable person. Getting out of my comfort zone, I got to expose myself into real professional world at a tender age of 15. Furthermore, I have been able to integrate what I demonstrate in chemistry labs to what I learn in my chemistry class and what I see in the cigarette factory. I have become passionate to know how the massive reactors are build, how a simple chemical reaction in the lab can be done in industrially, and to study how everything I see around is manufactured.

These experiences will only push me forward to my dream of pursuing chemical engineering and becoming an entrepreneur engaged in manufacturing new and improved products by environment friendly industries. I plan to do researches on traditional medicines used in my society and if possible to produce them industrially.

unluckily, my mom has been in hospital since last year diagnosed with liver cancer. Although, I couldn't join college since the most of our income goes to her treatment, I ensured myself I will fulfill my dreams no matter what.

Scholarship / I participated in the Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics Outreach program Debre Birhan Univ. [2]

Describe a figure or movement which has provided inspiration within your own life.

In the summer of last year, I had the opportunity to participate in the STEM (Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics) Outreach program of Debre Birhan University; a six week training for top scoring students from each high school in the district. Its aim was to provide us with information about the college majors and prepare us for the college life. We had taken introductory college courses and conducted science experiments in huge college laboratories. I wouldn't be the person I am if it wasn't for this program.

Although I didn't expect it, I adapted the new life easily and made lifetime friends in just the first week. I have learned how one can live with different kind of persons from different walks of life harmoniously in compromise and flexibility. Apart from the classes, I improved my sociability and killed my shyness. I remember on the fourth day I slept on 3 a.m. just chatting with my dorm mates about our background, interests and future goals. My best friends there were two guys: one was a bookworm that finished one college book every week, and the other was the software guy who had already developed 15 application software. I met the former one when we were classified by the majors we planned to study in college. We were both interested in chemical engineering and read books of that field intensively about process plant designs. I ran into the latter one when we were given a project to develop website for our schools. Even though I had no background of programming, I taught myself the basics of java, python and AutoIt in a month guided by him. We have developed a piano software for PCs that have included voices of Ethiopian traditional instruments like kirar, washint and mesenq'o. I was intrigued to see the other side of the world.

Also, I came to know high school grades alone can't make me ready to college and career. I learned to broaden my scope of knowledge and skills. After that program, I have made myself open to learn about history, programming languages, leadership and entrepreneurship. I become keener and keener to master the skills this dynamic world expect from me and unleash my potential to the fullest. Every day in my whole life, I will develop the 'beta' version of myself that performs better than yesterday.

Scholarship / Highlight what you believe to be the most important issue facing your country today [3]

Highlight what you believe to be the most important issue facing your country today (for example, economic, education, healthcare, social or public policy) and articulate how achieving a Bachelor's degree from the University of Toronto, through the MasterCard Foundation Scholars Program, will empower you to tackle this issue and related challenges, in your home country.

One day my brother and I were counting how many things we use daily were made in our own country. Surprisingly, above 75% of the equipment were made in foreign countries like China. This had always concerned me a lot since then. Moreover from the industry tours I had, I observed that even the factories were also highly dependent of foreign raw materials and fuels. I remember the time my class were visiting a bottling factory, the guide said "this is where the plastic pellets are prepared for molding" showing us a 5 meter tall cylindrical tanker and then "this is where the pellets are molded to the shape the customer ordered." I asked the guide where the pellets are made, and he replied me "they are imported from other countries." It shocked me to see such huge factories are dependent on imports.

Import dependency is a big problem that will leave a country to be influenced by exporters in social, economic and political aspects. In this era of globalization, one country need to have a balanced sheet for what it exports and imports. I see the things around me and asked myself "Why don't we manufacture these things? Don't we have the raw materials? What are we missing?" and I came to understand that we don't have enough skilled engineers to research, design and develop industrial plants from scratch to use our own natural resource. Ethiopia needs engineers that can fill these gaps. I want to connect the dots - the intact natural resource in the farm to better and cheaper products in customer's hand. This will be possible only if I pack myself up with the required knowledge and vast practical skills.

Profound awareness of chemical processes, proficient researching techniques, internships in the real world industries, skills of designing and developing industries and leadership of creative entrepreneurial startups are the elements what I am looking for when pursuing chemical engineering in U of T. I strongly believe I will gather these and more in the four year period from brilliant professors and rigorous, diverse and world-class academic arena of your university. Having those crucial foundations, I will research the natural resources we have, develop business proposals for investment and then build factories. I hope it will highly reduce my country's import dependency and prosper the lives of thousands.

Graduate / It may be silly for many if I return to a poor country after graduating from world class university [3]

Describe your motivation and commitment to return to Africa after graduation and outline a brief proposal detailing your plans for when you return to Africa.

It may seem silly for many if I return to a poor country after graduating with a sought-after accolades from such world class university. For me, it is the best way I can satiate my yearning of giving back. Of course, there are difficulties and adversities. However, I believe "Where there are more problems, there exist more opportunities." I will use every unmet needs I observe as chance to challenge my creativity and entrepreneurial mindset. It is not my plan to live where I will be only addition to thousands others but where I can make great positive influence on the lives of millions.

After graduation, I will be conducting advanced research projects for prospective business ideas while resuming my graduate studies and working in local industries to shape my knowledge into Ethiopian and African realities. I will explore the flora and fauna to use them as raw material for production. I will be focusing especially about how to produce traditional Ethiopian food and drinks industrially. For example, the legendary Ethiopian meal, Injera and Tej take so much time for Ethiopian mothers to prepare. Producing them modernly and economically is like having the whole Ethiopian families as customer. It also will reduce the workload on many women if the homemade meals can be produced with their 'homie' taste for cheaper price.

After having the research results, I will propose business plans and engage local and international investors. Then I will start my own new start up. With the entrepreneurial skills I will get at your university by the MasterCard Foundation Scholarship Program, I will grow my small start-ups into a large multinational branding company across Africa. A company that may produce products to keep the health and beauty of my people, products to cure the illness of sick people, products to feed millions of poor, products to provide energy for many in the dark and so much more. This ultimate dream of mine is what keeps my deepest zeal awake every day and what motivates me to return to my homeland after filling my arsenal with the essential weapons.