ACCESS 4/52: I held recognition in my hands in a city I'd fled to with nothing | Teh Triumph
- Open Dreams
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
🚪 ACCESS 4/52: I held recognition in my hands in a city I'd fled to with nothing. To me, it was a prophecy, or better, a confirmation, I had found my path.
In 2019, Ursula came back to our high school in Buea. She already had her scholarship to Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi. She was safe. She didn't have to return to a crisis zone.
But she gave a talk about how she made it into college.
That talk changed my life. Not because I suddenly had a path out. Because I realized: you don't need to have made it to show others the way.
A few months later, I joined Open Dreams Educational NGO. No scholarship yet. No acceptance letter. Just a belief that service comes first. For us in Buea, that meant building the Open Dreams Buea Hub from scratch.
We went to secondary schools across Buea. Gave talks. Mobilized students. Documented everything.
One day, Clara came back from Yaoundé with a red T-shirt from the Open Dreams Administrative Headquarters in Cameroon. From Mr. James Akaba. Getting that shirt meant someone 200 kilometers away knew my name. Knew the work mattered.
In 2019, receiving an Open Dreams t-shirt in this way usually happened AFTER you had gotten a scholarship to university and you were on your way. But mine came 3 years early. To me, it was a prophecy, or better, a confirmation, I had found my path.
I wore that shirt for three years. It faded to pink. The logo cracked. I wore it anyway.
Here's what service teaches you that simply waiting can't: you don't build proof by hoping for achievements. You build proof by serving even before you're ready. Speaking about scholarships, opportunities, volunteering, leading a club, etc. All those matter.
Service isn't charity. It's strategy.
Maybe your service this week is:
1. Find your Ursula. Who showed you it was possible? Study their path. Model their service.
2. Lead one session. Host a workshop. Tutor younger students. Give one talk about what you're learning. You don't need the acceptance letter first.
3. Document one thing. Take one photo. Save one certificate. Write one note about what happened. This becomes your proof.
The T-shirt wasn't a scholarship. But it was real. I held recognition in my hands in a city I'd fled to with nothing.
The shirt didn't change my life. Showing up to serve did. Documenting it did. Staying with it did.
So, here's your invitation. For all students on a gap year, in high school, or entering university through the access door.
Find your Ursula. Lead one session. Document one volunteering. Solve one problem.
Thank you so much, Ursula!
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