Student Profile: Benzawit Mengstu
Bezawit has always wanted to do something to impact her community in KC and her home country of Ethiopia, but never knew where to start… until she found Startland. For her Social Change Internship, she focused on immigration because as an immigrant herself, she wanted to help people feel welcome and thrive in a new place. Bezawit said that her 8-week SCI experience was empowering, supportive, and a big confidence builder: “You’re never too young to be able to make an impact and create change. I feel like over the years I’ve been limiting myself a lot because of my age or background. But since the internship, I feel like I have the groundwork if I ever want to work for a non-profit and just feel like I have a purpose in this world.” We caught up with Bezawit to see what life is like after her internship and what she plans to do with her future.
Q: What is going on in your life right now?
A: In school I am part of the Sumner Academy tennis team. This year I also joined the Black Student Union (BSU) and last year I joined the Gardening Club which I had never done before, but I’ve been able to meet some amazing people. Outside of school I serve in the Sunday school at my church, teaching pre-K to Kindergarten. I’m also teaching an instrument class at my church and it’s been really fun too. It’s called the Begena and it’s a 10-stringed instrument. It’s usually used in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for service.
Q: What has pushed you to do so many things?
A: Gardening Club used to happen during our home room last year, and I felt like I wasn’t as involved in school as I wanted to be. I wanted to try something new and my mom is also a gardener so I knew a little about it from her. I knew I wanted to try something for myself and our school’s media page is pretty good. Once I saw what everybody was doing I knew I wanted that too.
High School has a lot to offer outside of academics and I think there is a place for everybody. You don’t have to just be into sports or just academics, there’s something for everyone to do. I wanted to take the opportunity now, to try new things and explore before I move on to college and other activities
Q: What does life after high school look like for you?
A: I would love to go to college. I’d be a first generation college student if I do so. Over the past year I’ve really enjoyed my physics classes and I’ve always been a really big fan of math. I want to go into the STEM field and I’m still exploring different things like engineering. I’ve really been using high school to see what kind of engineering major I’d want to be.
Since I was a young girl, I’ve always wanted to do something to impact my community here in Kansas and also my home country, Ethiopia. That led me to Startland because I felt like I’ve always just been overwhelmed with the idea of wanting to do something impactful but not knowing where to start. With Startland I feel like I now know where to start when trying to make an impact in my communities. That is definitely something I’ll do.
Q: Why did you apply for the Social Change Internship?
A: Mr. Gunter told me about it. He told us over the school announcements and then my friend and I actually had him help me sign up. At first I was just going to see what the application requirements were because I wasn’t sure if I would do it. I thought about it and it felt like sometimes you just need to take opportunities. I wasn’t doing a lot outside of school and I had missed the opportunity to do an internship over the summer. I thought, “This is a chance to redeem myself.”
I’ve also felt very overwhelmed with the idea of creating social change. I thought maybe this could help me start and know what to do to create social change, as well as help figure out what I want to do.
Q: How has SCI Impacted your life?
A: Before the first meeting, where we met in person, I was a little nervous because I did not know what to expect. I didn’t know how the eight weeks would go, I was doing tennis at the time too, so I was a little overwhelmed but when I got there the Startland staff was very empowering and all the girls in the room were so supportive. I thought, “Okay this is going to be good.”
I think what made my experience so good was just the people that I got to work with and I felt so inspired by everybody. Everyone seemed really passionate about what they were doing and that really rubbed off on me.
Originally I started the program thinking about working on the homelessness problem but after I got to see everybody else present I ended up going with immigration. I realized that I care a lot about that because as an immigrant myself I got to discover another part of myself that is passionate about helping people feel welcome and thrive in a new place, and that I want to help others that have gone through the same thing that I have. We also learned about design thinking and since immigration was such a broad topic to solve we had to find a specific problem, a niche. I learned that sometimes when things are overwhelming, you need to find one thing to focus on if you want to create change. Finally, with the empathy work we did, it helped me connect with other immigrants and people within my community.
Also the fact that it was broken into eight weeks and we had specific things to do that helped us get to showcase day. I was really nervous for that day too but I think that it made me so much more confident to know I had groupmates supporting me and we put a lot of work in throughout those eight weeks.
Q: You mentioned doing empathy work. Why is it so important that adults engage with young people?
A: It’s really important because we have big aspirations and our perspectives are much different from adults. Just being able to work with young people is a new perspective on an issue that’s been over-crowded by adulthood. I think that over time, as you get older, your perspective is changed and somebody’s perspective on an issue can change so maybe new perspectives are good.
Q: How are you going to use the things from SCI to create a better future for yourself and those around you?
A: I think the biggest thing that I’ve learned is that you’re never too young to be able to make an impact and to make change. I’ve felt like over the years I’ve been limiting myself a lot because of age or my background but since the internship I haven’t stopped talking about it with people. I’ve been saying it and I’ve been trying to get other people to join in too.
I really hope that other people get to discover this about themselves and participate in it. I feel like I have the groundwork if I ever want to go into working in a non-profit or just feel like I have a purpose in this world. I have something that I’m meant to do, to better my community and I hope others discover that for themselves.
Q: What would you say to a student to encourage them to apply for our internship?
A: Just know you’re going to be supported in whatever you do and you’re not going to be alone. You have support from mentors and the group. Don’t feel overwhelmed. The whole thing has a process and it goes step-by-step. You don’t have to go through your whole project at once.
Q: Why is it important to you, to see adults investing in your generation?
A: I think that it shows that we matter and that we have potential. It also shows that they are investing in the future. We are all going to go on and do something and investing in us now, means you’re investing in the future.
Q: What is your favorite Pop-Tarts?
A: Brown Cinnamon Sugar
Q: When was the last time you were inspired by someone or something?
A: Recently we had a guest over to our house. That guest is going around America going to a bunch of different churches to get donations for people back home in Ethiopia who have been going through war and drought, and overall some of the hardest things that people have to go through in their lifetime. I think that it’s really inspirational how they left their home, constantly going to new places without rest, to help others.
