Nebiyou Timotewos was born in Hawassa, Ethiopia, on October 18, 2004. He had 6 siblings, but unfortunately, two of his brothers passed away at a very young age. Nebiyou lived with his mom and his remaining 4 siblings, as his father worked out of the city until he turned 7. When Nebiyou turned 7, his father, who was working at the Ministry of Affairs, received a placement in Yemen, and the entire family moved to Yemen in search of a new beginning in 2013. Life in Yemen was going smoothly for about a year, and just when Nebiyou and his family thought they had found peace, chaos suddenly arose, and the Yemen War began to escalate rapidly.

As a seven-year-old child, Nebiyou experienced a multitude of traumatic events, such as losing family and friends right in front of his eyes, witnessing the destruction of his house and car, and the disruption of his school. As the war continued to intensify, every embassy in Yemen closed and evacuated, except for the Ethiopian embassy. The Ethiopian government sent planes to evacuate the Ethiopian embassy, but Nebiyou's father, who was the embassy leader, discussed with the team and decided that he couldn't morally close down the embassy. He was well aware that if he closed the last remaining open embassy, innocent people in Yemen would have no way out. Nebiyou's family, alongside the embassy staff, stayed in the war zone for a couple of months during the chaotic bombings. They worked tirelessly to evacuate 6,000 innocent lives out of the country, ensuring that they helped everyone they could. Eventually, they safely shut down the embassy and with God's grace executed safely. For their selfless, brave, and heroic actions, they were awarded the National Hero Award and humanitarian award in 2015 by the government of Ethiopia.

Nebiyou's father was then reassigned to Dublin, Ireland, in the same year, 2015, prompting the entire family to relocate to Ireland for 2 years. While Nebiyou and his family were there, many of the traumas and illnesses they had experienced caught up with them, especially his father, who became seriously ill due to gastric acid issues. He went through a near-death sickness that left the family in a state of worry and chaos once again, just when they thought they had finally found peace. Nebiyou's father decided that his health was deteriorating rapidly, and he wasn't even sure if he would see another day. Additionally, the government of Ethiopia had become so corrupted that those who had sacrificed their lives for the people were facing hardships and threats. He chose to resign and relocate the entire family to Canada because not only was he unwell, but it was also unsafe for them to return home.

Little did he know that many challenges lay ahead. The flight to Canada began smoothly until a severe turbulence episode sent the plane nosediving beneath the Atlantic Ocean. This incident plunged the family into a state of panic. As Nebiyou described it, "I remember my mom picking up the Bible and praying, screaming to God, 'Take me instead and spare my kids, please.'" Fortunately, the plane regained control and continued its flight safely. Nebiyou and his family arrived in Canada on December 31, 2016, with hopes of a new beginning. However, they were met with hardships once again. Before eventually coming to Canada, he lived in seven countries and attended 12 different schools.

They were placed in a shelter for 7 months and survived on donated food and clothing. Nebiyou recalls an experience from grade 7 when he was bullied by his peers for wearing a girl's jacket because that was all he had for his first winter; he decided not to wear it and went to school in the winter with just a sweater and a t-shirt. In July 2017, Nebiyou and his family found a place to live, but they couldn't solely rely on welfare due to the high cost of living. This forced his mom to bake bread and sell it, and she also worked late-night shifts in a café. His already sick father had to take on late-night jobs as well just to pay the rent and put food on the table for their children.

This continued for a few years, during which an emotionally unstable and traumatized young Nebiyou, already carrying inner wounds, became increasingly separated from his parents due to their work commitments. This separation led him to seek healing elsewhere and led him into the influence of the wrong crowd. He began performing poorly in school and strayed further and further from the right path every single day until the COVID-19 pandemic hit, forcing his entire family to stay inside. The COVID pandemic had both positive and negative impacts on Nebiyou. Initially, it started with Nebiyou experiencing severe mental depression and suicidal thoughts due to the accumulated trauma and inner pain, which escalated further because, in 2021, both of his grandparents passed away on the same day, just 5 minutes apart. Then, his other grandfather passed away a few months later, and the family couldn't attend their funerals due to immigration processes and the pandemic. This was heartbreaking for the entire family, especially his parents because they couldn't even bury their own parents. The passing of his grandparents was the breaking point for Nebiyou, and he started going down the wrong path, nearly dropping out of school.

When 2022 arrived, everything changed. Nebiyou finally decided to stop running from his past and face and embrace it. He realized the sacrifices his parents had made for him, including not being able to bury their own parents. Nebiyou decided to get his life together and strive for the people he had lost. As he puts it, "My people are going to live on through me." To keep their memory alive and build their legacy, Nebiyou finally decided to get his life together, take his education seriously, and help his community and other people suffering from the same issues as him. Nebiyou knew he couldn't do it by himself, so he reconnected with his path and his relationship with Jesus, who had watched over him for years. As Nebiyou put it, "I could have died so many times, I gave up on myself, but Jesus never gave up on me. He protected me and kept me safe all these years; the least I can do is live for Him and thank Him."

Nebiyou ended up graduating from high school with honours and received multiple scholarships. Nebiyou has always wanted to help people and create positive change, so he decided to pursue his passion for social justice and work towards creating change for communities systematically oppressed by the justice system. In just his first year, Nebiyou accomplished many significant things. He serves as the biggest faculty director for the Liberal Arts and Professional Studies Faculty, Campus Commissioner, and Vice President of his program, and took on roles as an educator and mentor, among many other responsibilities. His hard work and commitment have earned him recognition and multiple scholarships, including a prestigious full-ride scholarship, the Leadership Award of the Year, Youth role model of the year and a community involvement medal from the City of Toronto.

Outside of school, Nebiyou is involved in numerous other initiatives and plays important roles in the community. His dedication to community service expanded when he joined the Secord Youth Council, where he assisted the homeless during Christmas by providing food and clothing. Furthermore, Nebiyou participated in events organized by the Public Service Alliance of Canada and hosted a Learn Your Rights Hub. He collaborated with organizations like the Black Student Association and the TDSB Black Student Leadership Program to address and educate about injustices faced by the Black community within the justice system. He also works closely with the Black Legal Action Centre to assist the community firsthand. In addition to these roles, he holds other important positions, such as being a youth ambassador with Peacebuilders to promote restorative justice and working with Peace by Peace as an educator, among many other roles.

Nebiyou believes that he is not doing enough to play his part in making the world a better place, so he is also working on various personal projects. He is an artist, motivational speaker, content creator, social justice advocate, podcast host, youth ambassador, and mentor. Nebiyou started his podcast in August with the hopes of spreading hope and kindness to the world, inspiring and motivating people. As Nebiyou stated, "Even if I help change one person's life, I have done my job." At the age of 18, Nebiyou has already made a huge impact and inspired many people. Nebiyou's main slogan is "There is power in kindness," and when asked why he created that slogan, he said, "It is because it's not about the money, fame, or opportunities that come from this; it's about genuinely helping people and making them smile." This sentiment was reflected in his actions, as he was nearly brought to tears when one teen mentioned that he had inspired them and helped them overcome suicidal thoughts.

Looking ahead, Nebiyou aspires to reach a position where he can impact millions of lives and leave a mark on the world. He envisions returning to his home country, Ethiopia, to extend assistance to others there and globally. Despite his young age, Nebiyou is committed to learning and taking incremental steps toward achieving these aspirations. In a recent talk, Nebiyou stated, "If there is one thing you could take away from my story, please let it be that there is power in kindness, and kindness is cool and gets you far." Nebiyou is now more focused than ever and is looking ahead to this year. What is incredible about his story is that he manages all of this on top of being a full-time student in Global Political Studies and Human Rights.