We’re excited to finally reveal our first Community Narrative of the semester! Last week, we interviewed Abigail Teshome (she/her/hers), a first-year participating in the FLi Scholars Program. Abigail is a PLME (Program in Liberal Medical Education) student hoping to concentrate in Cognitive Neuroscience. She is from Denver, Colorado. Read the interview below:

How are you? How’s your semester going?
I’ve been doing pretty good. I feel like this semester is a lot less overwhelming than first semester. The transition period is kind of fading out. I feel more comfortable. I feel like classes are getting a lot harder, which is the main thing I have to transition to now. It’s more academic than social. I’m really excited for this semester. I feel good.

How was your transition to Brown?
I grew up in a town that was very diverse. My high school was basically even in terms of race, and I grew up thinking that’s what the world was like. When I came to Brown, I realized that’s not what the world is like. People talk differently here, act differently, the humor is different. I feel like it was hard to make a genuine connection to the people here but after I found people I’m comfortable with, the experience was much better. It was a learning experience. I learned more about myself and who I am. I was in a situation where I had to figure that out and find the people I wanted to associate with. 

Has FLiSP helped with the transition?
FLiSP has made such a nice community from the start. It starts really early in the year, so I felt like if I had a concern, academically or socially, it’s a nice place where I didn’t feel like I had to put up a front and act like I had it all figured out. Especially with the one on one with Renata. During the first meeting, I was uncomfortable. I didn’t know what I was doing academically. At the end of the semester, she went over my goals and how I felt and compared it to now. I saw how much I grew as a student and as a person. I feel like without that community, I wouldn’t be able to conceptualize that.

What does it mean to you to be UFLi?
I feel like there’s definitely comfort in having a shared experience with other UFLi students on campus because at least day to day, it’s kind of rare to meet people who identify as UFLi. One of my good friends in FLiSP, Harriet, is from Kenya. I feel like having the shared experience of coming from an African household and not having guidance helped me feel less isolated. And even though that was my circumstance, I’m still deserving of my spot here.

Who are you away from Brown?
I feel like away from my identity as a student, the biggest thing that has influenced my life is my culture. I’m Ethiopian and Eritrean. There’s a very big Ethiopian community in Colorado. My high school had over 100 Ethiopian students. That’s something I keep near and dear to me. Outside my identity as a student, that has influenced not only the way I perceived the world and the things I learned, but also the way that I’m open to seeing other points of views.