Growing the Open Dreams Legacy at UPenn | Waguea Carine Fongang'23

This semester, we had the opportunity to meet Hans Kullberg, the co-founder of Open Dreams, who traveled from California to visit us at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), his alma mater. It was a wonderful week spent with him and fellow Open Dreams Scholars at the Ivy League institution. The visit reflected Open Dreams' commitment to holistic mentorship and sustained support for its scholars, wherever they may be, ensuring that they are well-supported, thriving, and making the most of their educational journeys.

We sat together, and each shared our own stories, not just how we found Open Dreams, but who we are, where we come from, and how our current journeys at UPenn are shaping us. It was one of those rare conversations where you realize how different each path has been, yet how much we have in common. Beyond that, the week was filled with other engaging conversations that reminded us of why this community means so much.

Roy Bruno, Carine Fongang & Hans Kullberg

Hans also walked us through the earliest days of Open Dreams, sharing photos and stories from the first cohort of scholars and where they are now. Seeing those names and faces made the organization feel less like an institution and more like a family and a long, ongoing story that we are lucky to have joined at a later chapter.

Diane Manga'23 & Hans

We also got to sit down with a UPenn staff member alongside Hans. We shared our stories with them about Open Dreams and what our lives have looked like on campus. It was a good reminder of how far things have come. This year, four students from Cameroon will be joining UPenn, three of them Open Dreams scholars. Not long ago, there were only a handful of us. Now we are thinking seriously about building a Cameroonian association and creating the kind of community we wish we had when we first arrived.

• By Waguea Carine Fongang'23