Betelhem Dessie: An Exclusive Interview with Loline Mag

Born and raised in Harrar, Bethlehem attended SOS school in her early years, where she excelled academically. She recalls spending most of her after-school hours in her father’s electronic shop. Her family encouraged her to do different activities, such as Taekwondo, music, and art classes. “Because my father was uneducated, he didn’t know much. But he decided to expose me to various activities to find out which suited me best.” Betelhem was introduced to a computer when she was in 6th grade. That summer, she moved to Addis Ababa. It was her first time moving to a new city apart from her trips to Dire-Dawa. She recalls feeling overwhelmed by everything she saw. After moving to Addis, Betelhem got hired at INSA (Information Network Security Agency). She was ten years old at the time, and the journey that got her there begins in Harrar.

After teaching herself how to code, Betelhem decided to teach others. She went to the education bureau of Harrar to obtain a teaching license. She subsequently began teaching well-performing students selected from government schools throughout the city. That experience made her well known by the education bureau and the regional president of Harrar. She claims that it was those exposures that helped her get into INSA. The agency, at the time, was recruiting young and talented individuals from all over the country. Describing her first day in INSA, she says, “It was a dark room. And there was a single computer with a blue screen. It felt like a movie scene. I realized that that was my desk, so I went there.”