I participated in the Science-Technology-Engineering-Mathematics Outreach program Debre Birhan Univ.

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.

Harvey, you mistook the topic of the essay. You are not being asked for an event in your life that inspired you. You are being asked to pick a person or a movement that has inspired you to reach for higher goals in the future. So, for an inspirational figure, you can either look at historical figures for reference. Think of someone who has inspired you to strive for something better in your life. Or someone who influenced your mindset to believe in a certain cause. The latter one combines both the inspirational figure and movement, which would make for a better essay topic in this case. For a movement, you can look into the historical movements such as the opposition to the Vietnam war, support or non-support for the war in Iraq, or something similar. Reflect on the past influences in your life and try to pick out someone whose life has inspired you to take action or whose beliefs have led you to a cause. This person need not be from a particular country. You can always explain the history of the person and his cause if you have to. There is room in the essay for that.