This is a photo of my football locker. I try to keep it as neat as possible so everything is easy to grab and go. I dedicate my whole week around football so keeping everything neat and in order helps me stay on track.

This photo was taken my senior year of high school. I started praying at the 50 yard line every game since sophomore year. I pray for protection, strength and the power to come out with a win over our opponents. This is something I do before every game, it’s a part of who I am on the field.

This photo was taken in 2021 during the final ceremony of the Hult Prize Global Competition at the University of Palestine, where I was honored as a member of the organizing team for the Competition . It holds significant memories, effort, and meaning for me, capturing numerous moments and friendships, even if they aren’t visible in the picture.

Here is my most recent photo, which holds great significance for me. It was taken on my first day at the University of Wooster. Despite its slight blur, it vividly captures the immense joy I felt during that time.

This picture of Al-Azhar University in Gaza City that holds a special place in my heart was taken on Aug 10, 2023. I used to spend countless hours there, diving deep into front-end development, improving my skills. But during the current war in Gaza, the university was completely destroyed—it’s gone now, just rubble where so many memories were made. Whenever I look at that picture, it brings a rush of emotions, a reminder of all that’s been lost, not just the building, but the time and memories.

Jissa, Michael. Most recent selfie. September 2, 2024. Image gallery

I’m lying on the floor, surrounded by my physics and math related books, papers, journals, comic books, mangas, and my guitar. These represent the things I spend most of my time on, capturing how I often feel overwhelmed and sink into my this hobbies, to the point where I zone out of reality.

Jissa, Michael. face-centric selfie. August 18, 2024. Image gallery.
Unknown. Sticker, https://i.pinimg.com/736x/df/30/62/df3062c1167d095778538bc9f2b34f40–saint-lazarus-haile-selassie.jpg. September 2, 2024. Pinterest.

This is me on the rooftop of my house back in Ethiopia, on the day I left the country, which also happened to be my birthday. The traditional garment I’m wearing, called a ‘Gabi,’ was a gift from my aunt. Often associated with nobility, the Gabi symbolizes my pride in my ethnicity and the sticker represents my bloodline as a descendent of the Solomonic Dynasty. In the background, you can see the city where I grew up in, Addis Ababa.

Jissa, Michael. Face-less selfie. September 2, 2024. Image gallery

This image captures my passion for drawing.