Kisanet Haile Molla

I definitely attribute my success to my family and my husband. Literally everything - if there is anything good in me that you find interesting, it's definitely coming from my family. I'm someone who lost my mom at a young age, so I was raised by my brothers and sisters. I'm the seventh child of eight siblings, and they made incredible sacrifices for me, eating one bread for four people. That's how I was raised, by them selling boiled eggs in the middle of the night. My family has been eating one bread for four, and they've been very outstanding in school the whole time because my mom used to push my siblings to be very good at school, and they pushed me to be one too. They must be very proud of me, and I think so too - they are, actually.

The best advice I've received is about staying true to myself - that's been the thing that just pushes me forward. Definitely being honest and maintaining authenticity, because sometimes you could just get lost in between, right? Especially at the bank, everyone is so brilliant. I remember I told my brother I'm scared because everyone is so brilliant that I will be a small fish in an ocean, and he said, no, you're going to be a big fish in a pond. So yeah, it's easier to get lost, to doubt yourself. But I mean, it's not like we know everything, so you just figure out things as it goes. I think it's important to know those things, to keep your authenticity, to listen to yourself. Even in professional settings, it helps you contribute something to this world, I guess.

I would tell them that everything is possible. Literally, it's just possible. I mean, when you're young, as a kid, some things might feel like they're unachievable, but as long as you're healthy and you dare to move, anything is possible. Also, not to be so hard on ourselves, and to just take it one step at a time. Success can be defined in different ways by many people - there is no one-size-fits-all kind of thing, so people should just do their own thing. I mean, maybe dancing is my passion, and that's my success, as long as it brings me joy. Engineering can be for someone else. Success is not defined by degree or anything - I think that's important to know. That's probably what I would say: whatever brings you joy, pursue that.

Spiritual life is definitely most important to me. Like I said, staying grounded and being honest - I think those are the values I carry. And definitely family love. I feel like I'm here because of my family - you know, I'm someone who lost my mom at a young age, before I was young. So I was raised by my brothers and sisters. I speak like this as if it seems simple talking about it, but I'm the seventh child of eight siblings, and they've been eating one bread for four. That's how I was raised, by selling boiled eggs in the middle of the night. That's my ground.