Selam Tegegn
For Selam Tegegn, Nairobi was never just a stop along a migration journey. It became the place where a frightened child slowly found courage, belonging and a sense of responsibility to others, lessons that would later shape her life as a humanitarian, nurse and multicultural advocate in Australia.
Born in Ethiopia and shaped by her Eritrean heritage, her early years were marked by movement across borders during a period of political instability in the Horn of Africa.
But when her family arrived in Kenya in 1998, Nairobi offered something they had not experienced in a long time: stability.
Now 35, she still speaks about the capital with warmth and emotion, recalling the quiet residential compounds, childhood friendships, school dance classes and the meals that made her feel at home.
