One morning in my Ethiopian home, when I was seven years old, I was awakened by the sounds of laughter and packing. I quickly got out of bed and saw our luggage piled up on the floor next to my mom. I asked, “Where are we going?” She replied that we were going on a shirshir, which meant “vacation.” My parents would always call anything a shirshir, whether it was a trip to the amusement park in Addis Ababa or a visit to Awasa, a vacation spot in Ethiopia. So I assumed we were taking a short getaway to one of the usual local destinations. When we arrived at the airport, I was confused by my aunt’s and grandmother’s tears. Little did I know I wouldn’t be back for another six years.
During my family’s first year in the United States, I frequently complained about our moving away, which I could see hurt my parents. I had vivid memories of my parents back in Africa, with my dad drawing cartoons and heading the office of a newspaper company while my mom owned an import/export business. All of that changed in the U.S.: My dad worked as a valet attendant and my mom as a custodian. At times they juggled two jobs each to support our new lives here in Philadelphia. Going from an office to jobs like those wasn’t easy for my parents, especially considering they weren’t fluent in English. The hardships they went through helped me see how fortunate I was to have parents willing to make such sacrifices. Their difficult path led me to Penn, and during move-in last fall, I saw another Habesha woman pushing a cart twice her size, and I couldn’t hold back my tears. She reminded me so much of my mother.
My parents’ sacrifice, mixed with the hardships I witnessed in Ethiopia, inspired me to help others — initially, orphans in Ethiopia. After reading my college essay on the topic, my former eighth-grade math teacher and mentor, Larry Kaplan GED97, reached out to discuss a similar program he was thinking of developing. We quickly set up a meeting at a Center City cafe to discuss our plans for what would later be known as the Philly Unity Project, or Philly UP.
Mr. Kaplan, as I still call him, shares my belief that many of the world’s issues stem from a lack of understanding of other perspectives. To address this, we’ve built three components into Philly UP: an educational program that exposes students to a range of topics and fosters discussions; service projects that give back to the community and build deeper relationships among the students; and travel that allows students to see real-world applications of what they’ve learned about. During Philly UP’s first year, we met weekly to shape the educational curriculum and walked through the Rittenhouse Square area, talking to high-school students and professionals to spread our mission. We ran a pilot of the educational program with an amazing Central High School student, Sophia Cucinotti, discussing race and ethnicity for hours, then held a larger event with more high-schoolers to foster space for comfortable conversation and finding common ground despite differing views.
We sought advice from a range of people in our community, including Wharton professors Peter Fader and Martine Haas, whose feedback we incorporated into the programs. Initially, we wanted to create a more global program, but the financial challenges of international service projects were significant. We decided that starting locally was the best approach, and Philly UP has truly become a community effort.
I also faced personal challenges with my reserved nature as we aimed to get Philly UP off the ground. Mr. Kaplan’s guidance and classes I’ve taken at Wharton have allowed me to articulate my ideas clearly and feel more comfortable meeting strangers. Throughout our walks around Rittenhouse, Mr. Kaplan and I would try to talk to as many people as possible. This allowed us to spread our mission and connect with individuals who were inspired by our idea. As a result, we expanded our network, connecting with more people, including City Council president Kenyatta Johnson G00, and were even featured on NBC 10 news and in the Daily Pennsylvanian.
Our goals in the new school year are to fundraise, bring in more board members, and start the first Philly UP cohort by the spring. Recruiting students and talking to high schools in the area about partnerships has already begun. In the long term, our aim is to expand our mission and realize my dream of a global approach, taking students to other countries for service projects and building connections through travel and teamwork.
This experience has taught me that sharing your passions and ideas is essential, since it could lead to something great. Breaking out of your shell, no matter how difficult, is crucial to articulating your ideas. Grit and passion not only inspire others but also allow people to truly believe in you and your mission. Words are powerful, and if you can inspire one person to believe in that mission, it can create a ripple effect — much like the one my parents created for me.
Tsion Bezabih W27 is concentrating in finance and entrepreneurship. She loves traveling, spending time with friends, and exploring Philadelphia.
Published as “Bridging the Cultural Divide” in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Wharton Magazine.
