Inspirational Story- From Poverty to Ivy League

Vivienne · (#1 (**permalink**))

From tending sheep to the Ivy League

Quote:

Source: Israel21c

By Karin Kloosterman

February 24, 2008

When Yarden Fanta-Vagenstein and her family of 11 landed in Israel from a northern Ethiopian village in 1985, she didn't know how to read or write. Many from their Ethiopian community in Africa had never crossed a street, opened a refrigerator, or ever had the chance to operate a flush toilet.

Separated from the modern conveniences of life and 2,500 years of Jewish history, returning to Israel on a rescue mission named 'Operation Moses,' wasn't only a life-saving opportunity from famine for some, it was a journey on a time machine.

For better or worse, Israel is not just another Western country - it is a fast-paced, competitive, and technology-driven society like no other place on earth. Yet despite the differences between Israel and rural life in Ethiopia, where she was tending cows and sheep, an illiterate Fanta-Vagenstein took on the challenge of school at age 14.

Today, she is the first woman of Ethiopian descent to earn her doctoral degree in Israel. With a PhD from Tel Aviv University, and now stationed at Harvard University where she is doing post-doctoral work in the field of education, Fanta-Vagenstein plans on developing an education curriculum to assist those who are illiterate integrate into the education system.

Fanta-Vagenstein hopes to play a role in influencing policies in education everywhere. Her doctoral thesis explored the cognitive and cultural changes that the Ethiopian community went through after moving to Israel, specifically in regards to their achievements in science and technology.

In 2001 at Tel Aviv University, Fanta-Vagenstein also established a program called "Thinking Science," to expose Ethiopian-Israeli teens to technology and science. It is still going strong.

She has published papers on the topic of education and technology and is now writing a book. "My community was not reading and writing," Fanta-Vagenstein tells ISRAEL21c, "yet they were intelligent in their own ways.

"I was concerned about the general opinions people had about Ethiopians, and proved through my research that there are other channels for learning, when people don't know how to read and write."

Getting to Harvard took a lot of determination and support from her community. Along the way, she was encouraged by Tel Aviv University and through the university earned a fellowship funded by a Detroit-based philanthropist, Joel Tauber, who is determined to see Ethiopian-Israelis enroll in higher education.

Tauber also played a central role in Operation Solomon, which brought 14,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel in 1991. Fanta-Vagenstein has received financial support from Tauber, and because of it perhaps, is now destined to impact illiteracy in American societies as well. She is stationed at Harvard until 2009.

From a village in Ethiopia to an Ivy League college in America, how does it feel? "I am enjoying it so much," says Fanta-Vagenstein, "It's a big challenge. To touch the top of academia is a huge opportunity for me, a privilege."

umbrarchist · (#2 (**permalink**))

Don't you think it is possible to get the knowledge and use it for your own purposes without being Ivy League?

What is that supposed to mean besides adopting their valuse system?

The laws of physics are incapable of caring about them.

um

Vivienne · (#3 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by umbrarchist

Don't you think it is possible to get the knowledge and use it for your own purposes without being Ivy League?

What is that supposed to mean besides adopting their valuse system?

The laws of physics are incapable of caring about them.

um

What do you mean by the above?

I posted this post in the hope of it inspiring other forumites, especially those who might be in the same position as Yarden Fanta-Vagenstein and motivating them to rise up despite any obstacles.
In regards to your comments about Ivy Leagues, do you not think that as an Ivy League graduate, this person has given herself the best chance to push herself up the career ladder, especially as a foreign student? The average Ivy League graduate can expect to earn a higher salary than a non-Ivy League graduate according to statistics and in a country as competitive as America is, you need to stand out from the crowd. Of course you need experience in the career and academic departments, but your chances of employment are increased with a highly ranked college or institution providing your qualifications are they not?

umbrarchist · (#4 (**permalink**))

Quote:

The average Ivy League graduate can expect to earn a higher salary than a non-Ivy League graduate

How many people with high salaries are in debt up to their eye-brows?

I don't hear anyone saying that all of the ivy-leage people should understand accounting. It's not like it is hard.

Fifth graders can learn accounting as well as collegians

Since obviously everyone can't be ivy-leage does that mean the rest must be dummies. Why not tell everyone about some good books that most of the ivy-leaguers probably haven't read?

Average Man

A short review:

Quote:

Hapgood, David: The Screwing of the Average Man (Bantam Books, NY; 1974). A brilliant, detailed analysis of how we get screwed by government, bankers, stock- and insurance brokers, lawyers, and other professionals:

"The average man has of course always been a loser, at least since the invention of agriculture made it profitable for one person to exploit another… Sometime in the late sixties, the average man's domestic economy stalled… In 1974 a group of congressmen led by John McFall of California estimated that wealth was being transferred to the richest one fifth of the population from those below them at the rate of $10 billion a year… This divine right of hustlers flourished from the earliest days in America…"

#TL13G: The Millionaire's Secret (VII)

umbra

Tahliba · (#5 (**permalink**))

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vivienne

What do you mean by the above?

I posted this post in the hope of it inspiring other forumites, especially those who might be in the same position as Yarden Fanta-Vagenstein and motivating them to rise up despite any obstacles.
In regards to your comments about Ivy Leagues, do you not think that as an Ivy League graduate, this person has given herself the best chance to push herself up the career ladder, especially as a foreign student? The average Ivy League graduate can expect to earn a higher salary than a non-Ivy League graduate according to statistics and in a country as competitive as America is, you need to stand out from the crowd. Of course you need experience in the career and academic departments, but your chances of employment are increased with a highly ranked college or institution providing your qualifications are they not?

I posted this post in the hope of it inspiring other forumites, especially those who might be in the same position as Yarden Fanta-Vagenstein and motivating them to rise up despite any obstacles.

Well hate to rain on your inspirational parade but they are unlikely to have access to the internet let alone blacknet if they are from her humble origins.

Infact you should post it on an Israeli site for all those Ethiopians there who are being treated like second class citizens...remind them how lucky they are.