Ghindae is a city in Eritrea located on the banks of Mayitkamum River in the Northern Red Sea. The city is surrounded by rolling hills and fertile valleys; a thousand rivers and streams keep the city green even in winter. I was born in this city to my mom, Saada, and dad, Ibrahim, and I was given the name Mensur by my grandmother, which means “victorious.” My dad was administrator of the city before we left the country. I left my country when I was 10 years old after living in two different countries, having finally arrived in Canada on September 17, 2014 with my mom and siblings.

I am someone who loves challenges and learning new things. I believe that challenging new things is the way to success. I love playing soccer, and I spend most of my leisure time either playing soccer or reading books. I am someone who likes to ponder and reflect on things around me from myself to the world that surrounds me. I like science because I want to know more about the universe that I am living in. I also like reading about different culture and theologies that exist today, since I believe that it is my responsibility to choose the belief that suits me and my understanding instead of following my parents’ way of life blindly; I am more convinced by logic and proof than blind faith. I joined Balfour Collegiate in November 2014; the first two weeks were a bit tough for me. However, things began to get better with time; Balfour is a culturally rich place where you can learn different cultures and interact with different people.

I joined the Balfour soccer club and got the best player of the year and the MVP. In my academic subjects last year, I ended up getting six meritorious, honour roll and two excellence awards. The only reason behind my academic achievement is my hard work and the trust that I have in myself; the motto that I hold onto in my life is “As long as there is a problem, there is a solution.” I am a very quiet person and mostly I understand things more easily by visualizing and reading.

I want to sincerely give a huge thank you to all of my teachers, friends and family who have been supporting me. I would never be the person I am today if no one was there for my athletic and academic achievements, and I would never take any of these for granted!