Eritrea Habtemariam – a former refugee who fled Ethiopia as a child in a 500-mile journey with her mother – graduated from WGU Missouri on June 24 with a Master of Science in Nursing Leadership and Management.
Habtemariam was born in Ethiopia, with her father hailing from Eritrea – a country located in the horn of Africa that is bordered by Sudan to the west and Ethiopia to the south. When she was just five years old, her father was forced to flee to Sudan to avoid persecution after conflict broke out between the countries of Ethiopia and Eritrea.
Eventually, Habtemariam’s mother began the 500-mile journey to join him, bringing along her two young children. They left Habtemariam’s grandmother and uncle, people who had been very important in her life. The trip was arduous, with the three traveling by night and finding safety in makeshift camps with other refugees.
Six years later, Habtemariam’s family had the opportunity to travel to the United States as refugees. Habtemariam experienced feeling lost as she attended school and was unable to speak or understand English, but she gained strength from watching her parents overcome their struggles and eventually learned English. At age 16 she received another blow when she learned that her grandmother, living in Ethiopia, had been killed by a drunk driver. At that moment, she decided to devote her life to helping others, which led to her career in nursing.
Habtemariam’s passion, along with life-long encouragement from her father, would later drive her to continue her education at WGU Missouri, an online university. As a single mother of three, she had already completed her BSN and found work as a telemetry nurse with SSM St. Mary’s Hospital, but decided to go back to school at WGU Missouri to get her master’s degree.
After struggling once before to achieve this goal, she didn’t even tell her parents she was pursuing further education until she had her graduation date in hand, surprising them with the announcement just a month before she was set to walk in WGU Missouri’s commencement ceremony. She notes that both her network of close friends and her amazing children were a huge factor in helping her to achieve this academic success.
Habtemariam, who lives in the Fox Park area of St. Louis, said that the degree she has earned from WGU Missouri will be key in helping her continue to grow professionally and personally.
“As my journey at WGU comes to an end, I believe I have gained the knowledge to become a better nurse, a leader and an educator,” Habtemariam said. “I know, without a doubt, my life’s journey is and will always be to serve others with love, compassion, dignity and understanding.
She was among the 500 students to be recognized in WGU Missouri’s graduation ceremony, held at the Touhill Performing Arts Center in St. Louis. Nearly half (43 percent) of the graduates represent the first generation in their family to complete college. Degrees are granted under the accreditation of Western Governors University, which is accredited through the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
