honesty requisite for serious inquiry.” That includes the hot- button—and very personal—Israel-Palestine conflict, about which he welcomes discourse. Finally, along with recognizing Al-Asaad’s brand of genius, the nomination calls him “simply a decent and kind per- son.” Sometimes nice guys do finish first.
EMEBET TESSEMA ’16, from Ethiopia, is studying econom- ics and international affairs. She chose Skidmore because of its community of students and faculty from around the world.
She observes, “Living in a diversified community, not only do we learn from each other’s backgrounds, but we also develop the ability to tolerate everyone’s opinions and beliefs, which is essential. My stay at Skidmore has been one of the main bridges in achieving a greater understand- ing of the value of diversity. I am a student from a third- world country, but my unique exposure to African, North American, and European cultures and learning methods has allowed me to analyze different situations using inter- cultural disciplines.” Living and studying at Skidmore, she says, provides “different opportunities to reach my goals and explore my interests”—including a half-year of study in Europe.
She is looking forward to graduate school after Skidmore, but in the longer term will return to Ethiopia “to make con- tributions to my home country, once I have enough re- sources and gain essential experiences from being here.” In the summer, for example, she hopes to volunteer at a Red Cross refugee camp.
“I have always been interested in volunteering in organi- zations that support children and youth,” she says. “Grow- ing up in Ethiopia as a woman, I was always inspired to work in an organization such as the UN, helping people access opportunities for education. I have always believed that education is a route to economic development. I had the opportunity to get an international education as a young girl; I would like to help develop a system to ensure
Name/Nom/Nombres:
emebet hailemariam tessema
Nationality/Nationalité/Nacionalidad: ethiopia
Name/Nom/Nombres:
nathaniel rehmeyer swaziland
Nationality/Nationalité/Nacionalidad:
other children can also benefit from this opportunity.” When she worked in an orphanage, she recalls, “I always told the children that, as a person from a developing coun- try, education is almost the only way to ‘make it’ in life.”
NATHANAEL REHMEYER ’18 was born in Baton Rouge, La., but at age 10 he moved with his Christian missionary par- ents to Swaziland, where he attended school with students from more than 50 nations. Then he began looking for a college with excellent sciences and research as well as small classes, “where I would be more than just another face in the crowd.” Skidmore filled the bill academically, but when it ar - ranged a campus visit and offered generous financial sup- port, he realized the commitment was as much Skidmore’s to him as his to Skidmore. He says, “I felt appreciated and that they wanted to get to know me. I had dinner with chemistry professor Ray Giguere, and the way he described the science program had me hooked. I was amazed by the opportunities at a small college that I would never get at a large university. I left contemplating whether I would be doing the freshman London program or starting on cam- pus—already past deciding whether to attend!” Now Rehmeyer is involved in a Skidmore lab undertaking malaria research, helping to develop a test for the parasite using urine instead of blood, which will make getting a diag- nosis easier, quicker, and cheaper. “This is very exciting and will benefit millions of people,” he enthuses. He promptly trained to be a member of Skidmore’s emergency medical services team, staffed and operated by students state-certi- fied at the EMT level or higher—an experience he describes as “a passion.” He is also a leader in the Christian Fellow- ship, “exploring my faith at Skidmore.”
He muses, “I think my future might lie outside the USA.” Growing up abroad, he recalls, “I saw the extreme need and lack of care in many parts of the world. I would love to be a volunteer doctor in a developing country someday, to help
SPRING 2015 SCOPE 23
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