From Ethiopia to Medtronic: The Genesys Works Success of Bonsa Tilahun

               

  Was Genesys Works what you expected? What surprised you the most about the summer?

"To be honest, I did not know what to expect when I first started. All I knew was that they were going to turn me into this amazing young professional. The thing that surprised me was how much fun we had outside the classroom and the rigorousness of the program."

 

Imagine coming to the United States and starting high school with limited English fluency. Bonsa Tilahun did just that. This Genesys Works young professional emigrated from Ethiopia with his father in 2005 with dreams of earning a Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

As a senior at Columbia Heights High School with a 3.66 grade point average, Bonsa is definitely on his way to reaching his goal. Not only is he excelling academically in the Advanced Placement (AP) program, he also holds many leadership positions in organizations like the Columbia Heights Robotics Team and the National Honors Society. 

Though he is strongly committed to his academics and participation in extracurricular activities, Bonsa knew that those things were not enough for him to successfully start his path towards becoming an Engineer. When asked why he wanted to join Genesys Works, it “was to learn more about the engineering field… but because of the GW program, [he] is now considering the IT field as a career choice. “ 

As his summer program coordinator, Krystal Stackhouse watched him turn into an amazing young professional who has improved his self-confidence, communication and computer skills. In his opinion, he definitely thinks he has changed by doing this program. This experience has opened his eyes to the array of opportunities around him and how to get that competitive edge over others just by doing simple things like being professional and taking initiative.  

Bonsa Tilahun is a great example of a Minneapolis Genesys Works student who understands what it takes to be successful. When asked what lies in his future, he simply responds that he wants to be a really good employee at Medtronic, represent Genesys Works wherever he goes, and “keep working hard in school while applying to selective colleges and scholarships.” As a young man with high hopes and dreams, Krystal has no doubt that he will do remarkable things as an expert in the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering field.