Editor-in-Chief Obse Abebe Named One of Ten Extraordinary Teens
This year, our very own Editor-in-Chief, Obse Abebe, was featured in the Bethesda Magazine.
Bethesda Magazine releases a yearly list of local extraordinary teens who excel in all of their numerous endeavors. This year, our very own editor-in-chief, Obse Abebe, was named on that list.
She’s a full IB senior and seemingly never sleeps; she is involved in B-CC clubs such as Girl Up, GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance), PRISM, Black Student Union, and, with what must be a magical time table, also devotes herself to policy campaigns and her own ‘Liberate your Mind’ organization, formed with other local teens to support incarcerated youth in D.C.
“I actually didn’t know I was being considered for… I guess it’s now called an extraordinary teen position,” Abebe shared when asked about the experience. She was nominated by our college and career counselor, Ms. Heald. She was then recognized as a finalist, and contacted to be interviewed and photographed for the spread.
She described the experience, saying, “The creative process of the photographer and their assistant during the photoshoot was really cool. It reminded me a lot of ironically The Tattler and how we decide illustrations that would accompany pieces.” And as we all know her to be, she was composed and professional, her passion for journalism and inquisitive nature shining through.
“It started as an interview and then it kind of delved into this conversation about journalism,” she explained, “We were getting into the discussion of subjectivity in journalism, just how far journalists can remove ourselves from our work, and in what cases can we truly be objective.”*
*only our Obse could turn an interview about her accomplishments into an esoteric meta-discussion.
“I’m very grateful in terms of recognition,” she notes,“but I think it just depends on how you define it, because the most fulfilling moments of recognition I have received are moments in these affinity groups, where students like to come up to me and tell me, ‘Oh my god, that meeting was amazing.’”
Abebe affirms that a lot of the work she does is identity based, and bringing visibility to those identities through her activism circles makes it all the more meaningful.
“Hearing that students feel empowered and safe and happy because of those spaces brings me more joy than anything. I honestly create a lot of those spaces for myself too, so just to hear that makes me emotional.”
B-CC PRISM is one group she takes pride in, a group celebrating the intersection of racial diversity and queerness. The past weekend, they attended a drag show in downtown D.C.
“I think what’s beautiful is the way that we’re able to have our space within PRISM to give additional attention to our own niche struggles as either children of immigrants or children of countries that were colonized and faced a different level of homophobia and transphobia through colonization,” she offers.
Abebe went on to say that the reason for attending this drag show was to gather inspiration for a future production by B-CC students to be performed this May: “Hosting this drag show is not just a symbol of our own pride, but our pride in the fact that we exist throughout the world regardless of what legislators are trying to do to people like us.”
The Tattler is prouder than ever to have her here with us, and we can’t wait to see where her spark will take her next.
