My name is Nardos Shewadeg, I am 19 years old. I was born in Addis Ababa around kolfe Keranio. I have two brothers and one sister. I lived with both of my parents until March 2021 when my father passed away because of diabetes. This was heart breaking moment in my life because I looked up to my father. I respected him, loved him, and aspired to be like him. My father was an English teacher and has taught in many schools in Addis Ababa. My mother work as a civil servant

I completed my kindergarten and pre-primary education at Mekan Eyesus primary school, and my middle school education in Soramba School. For the years I was at Soramba School I worked hard, and I scored 99.9% in my grade 8 ministry exam. This was a great moment for me and my family. As a result, I received an award and a certificate from Addis Ababa city Education bureau.

I also got a life-changing opportunity to be a Mastercard Scholar through the FAWE Ethiopia chapter. I met the required criteria of academic excellence in grade 7 & 8, leadership and I was also from an economically challenged family. With the gift of a scholarship, I proceeded to Bashewan School to pursue my secondary education.

During my time at Bashewam school, FAWE-Ethiopia Chapter provided me with all the necessary scholastic materials to support my education i.e., tuition fees, a monthly stipend, uniforms, stationary among others. I also got additional trainings including English classes to improve my language proficiency, life skills, entrepreneurship, ICT as well as extra tutoring for various subjects throughout the five years of my high school studies.  In grade eleven I was awarded with a smart phone and a certificate for excellent performance in grade 10 national exams. These awards motivated me to work even harder.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started all in-person schooling was suspended, we were provided with self-protection kits, and airtime to enable us to continue with remote learning.

At the 3rd cohort graduation ceremony, which was held at Dbreziet, three scholars were rewarded with laptops for excellent performance. I was fortunate to be one of the scholars rewarded as I score 616 out of 700 points. As I join university, the laptop will be extremely useful in my studies. Currently, I am student at the Addis Ababa University faculty of natural science where I hope to eventually pursue a medical degree.

I have received a great gift of access to an excellent education from Mastercard Foundation and FAWE-Ethiopia. My goal is to complete my studies, become a doctor and give back to my community. The opportunity has molded me and equipped me with relevant skills that enables me to become a great member of the community and a leader.