Dream While Awake: The Story of Two Scholars - Lucia Y. Wanchi and Nyong G. Nkwain, who took remarkable paths

On November 23rd, 2023, an extraordinary moment unfolded at the University of Buea. An Open Dreams Delegation, alongside Abraham Darrel, an Admissions Officer from Carnegie Mellon University Africa (CMU-A), visited the institution for an information session with students from the Faculty of Engineering and Technology and the College of Technology.

The visiting team was warmly received by the university authorities, led by the Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Dr. Nde Nguti.

The info session turned out to be highly engaging. As a token of appreciation, the Open Dreams Buea Hub presented Abraham Darrel with a custom Cameroonian jersey and shorts, a symbol of hospitality and cultural pride.

Then came a special moment: a pop quiz with a prize: an Open Dreams T-shirt, for the first correct respondent. The winner was Lucia Yen Wanchi, a final-year Computer Science student at the College of Technology (COT), University of Buea. Just as she was about to receive her prize from Akaba A. James, the Country Director of Open Dreams, the Open Dreams Regional Program Coordinator (RPC) for the South West, Bate Elvis Ebot, intervened:

“We cannot just hand over an Open Dreams T-shirt to a random person.”

He challenged Lucia to first make a promise; to commit to attending weekly Open Dreams meetings on campus and to actively participate in Open Dreams-led community engagement programs across the South West Region.

Lucia made the promise. And she kept to it. She further activated her intellectual curiosity, as someone in search of excellence.

Throughout the year, Lucia Yen Wanchi became a core part of the Open Dreams leadership engine in the South West, visiting schools, inspiring younger students with her voice as a girl in STEM, participating in Open Dreams' flagship programs like Aviva Week, and showing up consistently at weekly meetings. She balanced all of this while chasing academic excellence and applying rigorously for global opportunities.

Eventually, she was able to unplug two prestigious scholarship opportunities:

• The MasterCard Foundation Scholarship to study at CMU-A Rwanda, to study towards the award of a Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering, and

• A second MasterCard Foundation offer to study Intelligent Computing at Ashesi University, Ghana (which came much later, while she was already about flying).

A remarkably similar story unfolded in Bamenda. After more than a year of focused effort, Nyong Godwill Nkwain from the University of Bamenda unplugged two MasterCard Foundation Scholarships; one to the American University of Beirut and the other to CMU-A, to study towards the award of a Masters of Science in Artificial Intelligence Engineering. This was another tough choice, another leap forward.

These stories speak volumes - working, showing up, serving, and actively preparing, building a strong profile. This is why we say: "Dream consciously. Dream while staying awake. Dream while working". While you may be asleep, opportunities pass you by. Lucia Yen Wanchi and Nyong Godwill Nkwain join two other Open Dreams Scholars, Obedine Flore Fobuzie and Mbong Blessing as part of the MasterCard Foundation cohort for 2025 at CMU-A. In all, more than a dozen Open Dreams Scholars are at CMU-A. What is spectacular about CMU-A is its cutting-edge, African-centered tech education that prepares the continent’s brightest minds for high-impact innovation. Through its partnership with the MasterCard Foundation, CMU-A is empowering thousands of young Africans, especially women, with fully funded graduate education, leadership training, and entrepreneurial support to drive inclusive development across Africa. ...