Kiwanis Student of the Month January 2025: Missy Tsegaye

Ferndale High School senior Missy Tsegaye has already begun to test the waters of a potential future career in the healthcare field. She is a member of FHS’ sports medicine club, helping Golden Eagles student-athletes recover from injuries, and has volunteered at a school-run blood drive.

Tsegaye said she became interested in healthcare after witnessing the disparities that her family and others in her community experienced.

“It inspired me to want to make a difference and work toward equitable solutions,” she said. “I wish to provide communities all over the world with the healthcare they need,”

After graduating from FHS this June, Tsegaye plans to study public health at a four-year university. She hasn’t made a final choice yet, but it’s been narrowed down to the University of Washington, University of Oregon, and a few schools in California, she said.

Tsegaye believes that her community needs more mental health support and that everyone should be reminded that it’s alright to ask for help.

“The stigma around reaching out and seeking help creates an even bigger problem,” she said. “So, talking about it and embracing how crucial mental health is can hopefully help solve that stigma around it.”

On top of her forays into healthcare, Tsegaye is also a part of FHS’ leadership team and a member of the school’s Multicultural Club and National Honors Society. She also keeps busy by serving food at Ambo Ethiopian Cuisine and providing accounting assistance to the Cascade Cuts plant nursery. Tsegaye has managed to excel in class too; she’s maintained a 3.98 grade point average while juggling all these activities and jobs.

Tsegaye said the most influential people in her life are her parents, who have promoted determination and taught her to embrace her Ethiopian culture.

“My parents are incredibly hardworking people and have influenced me to always work hard to achieve my goals in life,” she said.