Miriam Admasu

Why continuing an education is so important to her:

As a first-generation student I value education greatly. My parents instilled the appreciation for education at a young age and knowing of their sacrifices adds to the importance I hold for education. Education is also so significant to me because it is mine and no one else’s. No one can take away the knowledge and experiences I gain from higher education. Additionally, many fields require higher levels of education to begin working in them and this is another motivator. My future aspirations include working in global health, focusing on issues such as sexual and reproductive justice or maternal health. I know the work I want to do in the future is important and crucial to the betterment of women, and I need to pursue post-graduate education so that I can enter spaces and collaborate with organizations that are making important strides in said issues.

Miriam proudly supports:

Society for Eritrean and Ethiopian Diaspora Development (SEED^2)

Eritrean Ethiopian Student Conference (EESC)

Los Angeles chapter of United Nations Women USA

Miriam, what does the term “Golden Women” mean to you?

“A Golden Woman is one who radiates with her true personality. She embodies resilience and compassion and isn’t afraid to be herself. A Golden Woman is resilient in that in the face of adversity she maintains her strength and her goals. She is compassionate in that she has a warm heart and looks out for others as well. Her true character shines through and holds genuine gratification by being able to not just succeed herself but seeing others thrive and prosper as well, and actively uplifting them as well.”

Miriam, describe something that is plaguing young women today and explain what can be done to turn it around? What can you do to help?

“One of the most pressing issues plaguing young women is gender based violence and discrimination. The world can be extremely cruel and punishes women more often than men simply on the basis of gender. The various experiences of harassment, psychological harm, economic inequity, and physical violence amongst other things take a toll on women starting at a very young age. It pains me to see the hurt that people can cause onto women. A very recent example would be with Oluwatoyin "Toyin" Salau. Toyin, may she rest in power, was a victim of sexual assault. She was a young and vibrant woman who was vocal in her beliefs. She was taken advantage of and went missing, and was pronounced dead today. Hearing what happened to her, and various other young women and girls, is unacceptable. This in its entirety is sick. Women should not have to live their lives in fear. They should not have to be calculated in their moves, just in case they could be targeted. I think that one thing that needs to change is how society views women. This is deeply ingrained in many systems of society, but needs to start on an individual basis. We need to also address such issues via education. Sexual violence and overlal gender based violence education is only one aspect of comprehensive sex education, something that should be mandatory everywhere. There are ways that this can be implemented in every year of education, so that is approached in an age appropriate way starting from the younger years. If children are taught the right information throughout their years at school, it would play a large role, as those are their formative years. I also believe that institutions need to be held accountable for the roles they play in perpetuating such violence. I hope to play a more active and hands on role by working with organizations who hold this issue as high priority and work to create changes in policy as well.”