49 Voices: Dimetros Baynesagn of Anchorage

This week we're hearing from Dimetros Baynesagn in Anchorage. Baynesagn is a UAA student originally from Ethiopia.

BAYNESAGN: You might listen to a little bit of my accent, it comes back. I was born there, I came in when I finished middle school, so pretty much I went to high school here, and now that I'm a UAA student, I go to college here.

I was born and raised in the capital of Ethiopia which is Addis Ababa. It's a pretty big city with towers and stuff. Anchorage compared to that is -- because it's third world -- it's different but it's a city. I like it. It's low-key.

To be honest, I've been visiting big cities; I've been to Minnesota for a week, I've been to Colorado, but it's different in Anchorage. It's very diverse. You don't see a lot of diverse communities . We have a lot of communities. It's just fun to hang out with. Sometimes it gets rough, but you'll get used to it. It's just a different vibe here.

I'm trying to do a little bit of business, like trading and stuff, so I would call myself a very open entrepreneur. I just started it and it's cool. I'm still learning. You'd think it's just like a freelance, but you gotta put work in it, and you gotta have a work ethic and time and devotion. All that stuff. You can make money. It's very risky. But as long as you know how to trade. If you have a good mentorship and all that stuff, you'll be good at certain points.

I'm trying to get this Bachelor's in Natural Sciences, so hopefully if I get that, I'm trying to get into a medical college. I might come back, but as of right now, if I finish my degree, I want to go... I have plans to go to, like, Oregon for a while. I've only been in my birthplace, Ethiopia, and Anchorage my whole entire life. So it's good to experience and explore some other places, too.