Meadna is very glad to see Asmeret Ghebremichael, assuming the role of Elle Woods sorority pal Pilar in the Broadway production of Legally Blonde on July 2. There is a reason why Asmeret’s success is more special to our team. Seven years ago (2000) meadna team coved a very interesting story on (Erishine Magazine) titled “The Success of Young Eritreans in the West.” The story was about the success and potential of two talented sisters, Asmeret and her sister Semhare. The story was also about the history and background of the family and the sacrifices they had to make. It was inspirational to Eritrean parents and young Eritreans.

Enjoy the full text of the publication below.

The Success of Young Eritreans in the West

Like most of Eritreans, Yemane Ghebremicheal and his wife, Asgedet Fessehatzion, were born and raised in Eritrea and went to the USA in the early1970’s to continue their education. For many different reasons they ended up staying there. Their eldest daughter, Asmeret, was born on May 22nd, 1980. Three years later a second daughter, Semhar, was born on July 22nd, 1983.

Asmeret, the eldest, began dancing at the age of three. Like most children, she had so much energy that Mr. Yemane and Mrs. Asgedet decided to release some of it by placing her in a ballet class once a week. She quickly grew fond of it and did not want to stop. The youngest, Semahare, always watched her practicing at home and wanted to mimic every step she made. Before they knew it, at four, Semhar, too, started dancing. Dancing is an art form in which bodily movement is sued to depict a story or certain feelings. It is set to music. Although for many people, dancing is merely a means of passing time, or just a hobby, for the two girls, it becomes a necessity, a true passion in their lives.

As they grew up, dancing slowly became the centre of their lives. Each year they seemed even keener on going on to dance studio, and each year it seemed they improved a lot. This was the first sign of strong will to be noticed in the children. That same determination grew in them even more as they got older and started middle school and high school.

They had no difficulties with the dance steps; they had more with the sacrifices that average teenagers are not willing to make. When Asmeret was about twelve and Semhare nine, their dance classes were increased to five days a week. They and their parents had completely open understanding: the only way they were going to be able to maintain this schedule was if their grades in school remained at a high level. As much as they did not want to hear it they were told repeatedly that dancing was an extra-curricular activity, and their real job in life was success in school. The only reason this way of life worked out over all these years was because of the family’s frankness and mutual support.

A typical day in the life of Asmeret and Semhar would be waking up early to catch the bus, and returning home by at least three o’clock in the afternoon. After getting home, they would have a snack, start whatever homework they had to do, and then get dressed for dancing. A fifteen-minute car ride to dancing school started the second part of their day. There were days when they would be dancing from 4:15 to 9:45 p.m. It is obvious that time was not, and still is not, a luxury for these children as it was for most children of their ages. The biggest sacrifice the children had to make was coming home at ten o’clock at night, eating a small dinner, and then continuing with homework. Most nights they would not be in bed midnight. The hardest part of their schedule was waking up in the morning! Sometimes their parents had to wake them two or three tomes to make sure they really got up.

The children were always told that they were very fortunate to have the opportunity of living in the USA and have the chance of a better life, and their parents were telling them of the many Eritreans with the same talents but nothing like the same opportunity.

As far as support is concern, the parents feel that they have done the best job they can. They are there for the children emotionally, not to mention financially, and they gave spiritual guidance whenever needed. They only way such a family could survive competitions every weekend, early morning rehearsal, classes directly after school, and long summer trips, was with support from everyone. If you ask any of Mrs. Asgedet’s friends, they would tell you the only topic she talks about is her children. The reason she boasts so much is because of her immeasurable pride in them.

At the age of seventeen, Asmeret won national and regional “Miss Dance” titles. She is attending New York University as Martine Luther King Jr. Scholar; she is also working on her second Broadway show. Making it on Broadway is something that many performers at the age of thirty still list as an ambition, and to achieve that goal at eighteen, especially for an Eritrean with parents who have no background in, or knowledge of, show business, is a true remarkable thing, and it is why they need all the support they can to follow their dreams wherever they take them. Asmeret has always said that no matter what she is doing, she would dance on Broadway.

The youngest, Semhar still continues to amaze her parents. She has held the titles of “Petite Miss Dance of Pennysylvania”, “Teen Miss Dance of Pennyslavia”, “National Teen Miss Dance Explosion”, and is currently working on her third state title hoping to be named “Miss Dance of Pennsylvania” as her sister was three years earlier. She is sixteen now, and is starting to look at universities to further her education. The chances are that she will end up in New York with her sister, although not the same New York University.

Whatever their children accomplish their parents are always proud of them. The children know that they are Eritrean and that they are not soft people who give up easily. This confidence is what makes them so successful, as they continue to work hard to achieve their goals. That is the parents’ point of view, but their daughters’’ successes are the best witness to its truth.