Hanan Aman
Quick Facts
Age: 23
Pronouns: she/her
Major: Biochemistry, 2025
Notable: First-generation
Languages: Amharic, Oromo
Transfer Institution: South Seattle College, Associate in Science
“To be civil, always be yourself, be a mirror of kindness that is always reflecting respect, kindness, dignity, and happiness to others. ”
Service & Work:
Tutor for math and chemistry, Trio, South Seattle College, March 2023–June 2023
Translator, Mother Africa Organization, Seattle, WA, October 2022
Awards & Honors:
Alfie Scholars, Cohort 8, 2023–2025
President’s Honor List, South Seattle College
Seattle Colleges Foundation Scholarship
Hanan’s Story
I was born in Assela, Ethiopia, but I grew up in different cities in Ethiopia, including Assasa, Adama, and Shashemane. As of September 26, 2019, I have been living in the United States. I have only one brother, and I am the only daughter in my family. When we were little, both I and my brother suffered from asthma. To recover from our illness, we took a lot of medicine. The medicine I was taking reacted with my body and caused allergies. Consequently, my dad stopped giving me medicine, and we moved from one city to another when our asthma started to get better weather.
Moving from one location to another has had an impact on my education in Ethiopia. For instance, if my asthma flares up in the middle of the school term, I have to drop out of school and travel to another city. However, as my brother and I grew older, our bouts of asthma became less frequent. I still recall the time when I was placed back in grade 3 instead of grade 6, resulting in my separation from my classmates. Despite feeling frustrated and left behind, my determination to catch up pushed me to work hard in school, allowing me to recover what I had missed in the classroom. Through numerous tests and countless hours of studying, I eventually managed to join my classmates at the same grade level. Alongside this challenge, whenever I transition from one class to another, my classmates get jealous and think that I am cheating. However, I have always been the type of person who sheds tears easily but quickly moves on to the next step. This ability to let go and confide in my professor and mother has significantly reduced the stress in my mind, enabling me to solely focus on my studies.
Not only my brother and I fell ill during that period, but our mother also experienced some health issues. She underwent five surgeries, two of which were related to our birth, one for an appendix, and the remainder two were when doctors discovered a foreign object in her abdomen during a CT scan, a small bladder metal that had been forgotten when she gave birth to me. It could not be removed. This is how it unfolded: The doctor initially dismissed the issue as trivial and scheduled an appointment with my mother. Meanwhile, my father was in the USA, and our entire family was worried about her, but my mother chose to perceive it as a minor matter, just like the doctor did. One morning, without informing me of anything, she asked me to accompany her to the hospital. While I was downstairs watching TV at the hospital, she unexpectedly headed to an upstairs minor surgery room. Concerned, I eventually went upstairs and started looking for her when she took longer. I was informed by the nurse that the patient had gone to a minor surgery room. Observing the doctors hurry in and out, I saw my mother's belly stained with blood when they transferred her from the minor surgery room to the major operation room. In that bewildering moment, I was drawn to the major surgery room, where I saw almost everything the doctors were doing because they were also in shock and didn't notice me standing by the door. After asking me who I was, the nurse made me leave the room. Unfortunately, the two surgeries the doctor performed didn't succeed, and my mom still has metal inside her. In that moment, I realized I was called to become a physician.
I have always been passionate about my education and making a positive impact on my community. As a first-generation university student, I am motivated in my journey to become a physician.
I attended Wolaita Sodo University for one year before coming to the United States. Upon arriving in the U.S. on September 26, 2019, I missed the registration period and had to wait for three months to enroll in the ESL program at South Seattle College. Over the past three years, I have faced the challenges of immigrating, adapting to a new environment, learning a new language, attending school, and working simultaneously to improve my standard of living. Currently, I am pursuing a biochemistry program at Seattle University, which aligns well with my career goals.
Goals:
My short-term goal is to pursue a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry at Seattle University and then get into medical school. My long-term goal is to be a dermatologist and help others in need. This goal is very important to me because it will give me the opportunity to inspire others, especially women in my country. This dream will give me the opportunity to provide help to people in need in Ethiopia. That is going to be done by providing healthcare services to those who cannot access them, and I would like to build a hospital for those who need it. As I pursue this dream of mine, I will be working hard to be that person who inspires others and provides them with the help they need in healthcare.
On Civility:
For me, civility means seeing or treating others as you want to be treated. This means treating others with respect, politeness, and empathy regardless of their background. It also means treating others equally. For example, I would like to be treated as a normal person without worrying about my skin color, where I come from, or my dressing style, including my hijab, so I would like others to treat me with the same respect that I treat them.
To be civil, always be yourself, be a mirror of kindness that is always reflecting respect, kindness, dignity, and happiness to others.
