Bisrat ZerehaimanotArt & ArchitectureMy name is Bisrat Zerehaimanot and I hail from Eritrea, a small country located at the horn of Africa. My parents were born and raised in Eritrea in the midst of a bloody war between its southern neighbor Ethiopia. Since Eritrea was being oppressed by Ethiopia my parents were denied simple rights, one of them being their education. Thus when my parents immigrated to the United States they instilled their kids with the values to work hard in school and to take advantage of life’s opportunities. I was raised around these same values and it became a habit of mine to pursue something to the best of my capability. Education and sports became a passion of mine. It is an area where I strived for excellence and now I have achieved them at the highest levels. I was accepted to one of the world’s top institutions, UCLA, and became fast enough to join its highly acclaimed track team. These accomplishments define who I am and what I represent, a hard working student-athlete at UCLA.My daily life here at UCLA is shaped around these activities. Finding the balance between academics and a sport can be challenging but in reality it is all I know. I have always played a sport while being in school so it is something I am used to. Living the student-athlete life here at UCLA of course demands much more work but I am beginning to find my niche. My daily activities consist of class in the morning and practice in the afternoon. When I am in class I strive for excellence and always seek ways to master every topic. When I am on the track I look for new ways to get better. Whether it is better running technique or the way I eat. My goal is to become the best I can be and nothing else. It is a trait that all UCLA athletes share, the strife for excellence.Education is such an importance to me because my parents were denied it and I have future desires to become a Sports medicine doctor. That is why I value school so much, it is a privilege that most people take for granted and it will help me attain my future profession. Track is another way for me to measure my success and I love rising to new levels. When I earn a new personal record, it makes me want to get better. Competing at UCLA puts you up with the best athletes in the country and that is a title I am willing to chase. Running symbolizes my drive to succeed, and is a way to express my work ethic. That is why I choose to be a student-athlete, it is who I am.
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