by Nathan St. Pierre ’12

Becoming a doctor is a profession that allows someone to earn a large salary and feel like one is helping someone in need. Sherwood graduate Getachew Mengistu (‘07) is more focused on the latter, planning on practicing medicine in a faraway country rather than staying in the United States and making a lot of money.

Born and raised as a child in Ethiopia, Mengistu plans to head back to his native country after he has become a fully licensed doctor. “There are a lot of problems with the health structure and a lot of doctors are coming to the U.S., leaving a lot of people behind,” Mengistu explained. “The government system is corrupt, and I just wanted my own chance to help the people.”

Ethiopia has a life expectancy of 55 and an infant mortality rate of 81 infants out of 1,000 compared to the U.S life expectancy of 78 and an infant mortality rate of six infants out of 1000. These startling facts about Ethiopia’s poor healthcare are Mengistu’s inspiration for wanting to be a doctor in the first place.

The journey to becoming a doctor will not be a short or simple one. Having to take four years of undergraduate, four years of medical school and three years of residential practice, it will take Mengistu 11 years to be a licensed doctor, even longer if he decides to specialize in a medical field.

Mengistu, however, seems far from worried about the lengthy trek ahead of him. “I like being in school which helps a lot.” said Mengistu. “I see those years as a time to gain good educational experience so I can give back to my community by becoming a doctor.” Mengistu is currently in his last year of undergraduate school at George Washington University.

One of the more difficult challenges Mengistu had to overcome when he moved to the United States in 2002. Ethiopians speak Amharic, which uses a completely different alphabet system than the English language. “It took me five years to become comfortable with the native speakers [in the United States] because I was scared they were better than me speaking in English,” said Mengistu.

Fortunately, even with the difficulty of learning a different language, Sherwood was able to give Mengistu the keys to being successful in college and in his future career. “I started Sherwood as an ESOL student which means you have to take classes that are easy because it is assumed you would not understand what is being taught in class. However, my counselor and my teachers encouraged me to take honor and AP classes even while I was an ESOL student.” recalled Mengistu.

Even with his mind set firmly on his medical career, he still misses the Warrior spirit and the dedication of Sherwood teachers. He also believes in the ability of students themselves to help the community. “You don’t have to be a doctor to start making a huge difference in our small world,” he explained. “Students can offer their time to help their communities which can make a huge difference in someone’s life.”