Hello! My name is Yeabsira Temesgen, I am an Ethiopian American first-generation college student. I am a third-year student at Pitt College of Business Administration, studying Business Information Systems with a minor in Korean. On campus, I hold positions in three student organizations that I am very passionate about, the Ethiopian Eritrean Student Association, the Roberto Clemente Multicultural Business Association, and Daehwa, the Pitt Korean Conversation Club.
I was born in Washington DC but moved to Maryland when I was young. Growing up in a suburban area close to a city made me realize I wanted to have my college experience in an urban setting. This is one of the reasons I chose to come to Pittsburgh and why I chose Seoul for my exchange program. Since a young age I have been interested in learning about and experiencing many different cultures, and I have been lucky enough to grow in a diverse place where I could be exposed to many different cultures. One of my interests specifically is learning about languages, not only learning the language itself but also learning how languages evolved throughout time. I was raised bilingual, speaking Amharic at home and English outside of home, and the languages were so different, each one had its nuances that were impacted by culture, which made me want to explore how people communicate around the world. That is how I started learning Korean, it was a language that was vastly different from the ones that I knew, it used a completely different writing system, and had a unique history and completely different nuances that affected the language. There is only so much you can learn from a classroom, and I wanted to fully immerse myself in not only the language but also the culture of Korea, so I chose to do an exchange program in Seoul Korea.
My program is the Pitt exchange program at Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. At Yonsei, the university where I am doing my exchange, I’ve had the chance to meet students from all over the world and experience Korean university life. Compared to Pitt, Yonsei feels a bit more formal in terms of how students interact with professors and staff. The campus itself is beautiful and has a mix of modern and historic buildings, and I’ve enjoyed the strong academic environment here.
I’m currently living in the international dorms, sharing a space with other exchange students, many coming from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. It’s been a fun and eye-opening experience getting to live with and learn from people from so many different backgrounds. It took a little time to adjust to the smaller living space and shared facilities, but overall I’m adapting well and have enjoyed the sense of community. One of my favorite things about the neighborhood that I am in, Sinchon, is how lively it is. Sinchon is full of restaurants, cafes, shops, and students, which makes the area feel really energetic and youthful. Everything is walkable or easily accessible by public transportation, which is super convenient. I’ve also been enjoying the food and being able to try out new dishes like dakgalbi.
I’m excited to continue exploring the city, improving my Korean, and gaining new experiences both in and outside the classroom. I know this experience will help me grow personally, academically, and professionally.
The picture I have chosen to include below is one of me when I went to Jeju , which is an island province of Korea.
