I am Akisarl Lynn-Everdene a student at the Faculty of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (FMBS) of the University of Yaoundé I, a Goodwill Fellow 2022. Truth be told, when I first heard of Open Dreams back in high school, nothing interested me because I had little knowledge about it. But as years unfolded, this organization went crazy; everywhere, it's "Open Dreams", "Open Dreams". When I heard my classmates such as Nkah Chamberlain, Sombang Patience, Hannah and Nombo Evans have gotten scholarships to study out of the country, I contacted them to know how they got their scholarships. Open Dreams, a scholarship springboard, was their common denominator. This kept me for a long time wondering how to be part of this distinctive Organization. The recent news that gave me sleepless nights was when Moumie Mohamed got a scholarship to study at one of the most prestigious and best universities in the world: Harvard University. I felt like quitting school and getting to Open Dreams full time.
Aside from scholarship opportunities, community impact Open Dreams is still at the top. When I attended this Year's Goodwill Fellowship organized by Youths inspiration, this event transformed me to start thinking of how to create an impact in my community. Furthermore, when I learned that Clement Ngosong who organized the event was an Open Dreams Scholar, I was just speechless. Open Dreams is at the top in Cameroon transforming the lives of the youth.
Just a few months ago, I was added to the Open Dreams Pre-Scholars 2022 WhatsApp group. With the multiple opportunities shared in this group everyday, I felt like I was not in Cameroon. I can imagine if I was in this group earlier, I could have been touring the world by now creating an impact in the lives of people.
I was privileged to start participating in community-engagement events such as the World Cleanup Day and the YALI Peace Symposium that just passed. At first, I used to see such events only on TV but now, here I am, attending them because Open Dreams has exposed me to them. Any time I sleep, I dream of Open Dreams. I feel like something will be lacking in my life if I didn't fully integrate into this Organization.
Even though I narrowly missed scoring the points required by Open Dreams at the Advanced Level for its membership, I think it is not all about points. I wish to continue volunteering in Open Dreams activities and events to continue making a difference in the community - Open Dreams is a place of higher purpose. Moreover, I'm a good singer, dancer, and guitarist too.