MD, Ben Gurion University

My name is Maru Gete, at age 8, in 1991, I made aliyah from Ethiopia with 10 of my family members.  My parents emphasized the importance of our education. They knew that while it may be challenging for them, the first generation, to understand Israeli society and to integrate fully, my siblings and I had the chance to learn and to truly become Israelis. My parents couldn’t help us with homework, but they always knew what was important, and they provided us with critical motivation and support.   From a young age I knew that I wanted to study medicine. When you see someone who is sick, you want to help; studying medicine enables you to do that. It is much more than a “helping profession”: it is a highly intellectual field, so it’s a wonderful combination.   Studies in medicine are extremely demanding, and I also work to support myself and my family. Any type of financial support, such as the scholarship that I receive from Keren Hanan Aynor, means that I can work fewer hours and that is very significant. It enables me to sit and study and focus on my learning without financial strain.  Helping the Ethiopian student population means much more than just helping an individual. By helping an Ethiopian student, you help him to serve as a role model to his family and community. The short term investment in his studies enables him to help himself for the rest of his life.  While many students struggle financially, Ethiopian students are almost always trail-blazers for their families.  Most parents are not academics, and our generation is starting from scratch. While others have a network of friends or families to turn to for guidance in their pursuit of academia, we lack that. We are a population of immigrants who is trying to successfully integrate and acclimate: the only way is through education.I hope that in the future, I will be able to give back and contribute to others in the same way that I have received help from Keren Hanan Aynor.