Miami Was the Place. The People Were Home!

Winnie

There’s a lot to look forward to when summer approaches. For some, it’s the last assignments and finals wrapping up, and the freedom that follows. For others, it’s the opportunities ahead — internships, research, projects, or any new professional experience to grow from. Regardless of which category you fall under, there’s often time set aside to go home, share meals with family, and revisit familiar places.

For most international students in the U.S., that wasn’t an option. Shadowed by the ever-present threat of visa complications or blocked reentry, none (barely anyone) dared to leave.

But as I boarded the plane from Chicago to Miami, I knew I was on my way home to see family, because that’s what the Open Dreams Community is. Home doesn’t always look like the four walls of the house you grew up in, adorned with portraits of your parents or creases your siblings made when playing.

Sometimes, home, especially as an Open Dreams Scholar, looks like the familiar faces of peers and mentors you encounter at the summer academy, during events at the center, or even across Open Dreams’ social media pages.

And so we were in Miami; a city known for its beautiful beaches, warm tropical weather and vibrant streets.  Mohamed told his Harvard stories, Roy spoke of Penn, I shared mine from Northwestern, and Serena, our wonderful host at the University of Miami,  could literally walk us through her campus.

Mohamed

It indeed just started as a joke. “Let’s make a summer trip,” we said. We should have rather called it an end-of-summer trip, given that we all had the time to get busy over the summer. For some, this “getting busy” meant completing research, working extra hours on campus to save enough money to support themselves through the upcoming semester, but also to assist friends and family back home, while for others, it meant completing internship where we didn’t just have to deliver but had to outperform given the constant sword of Damocles over our heads as international students. Despite this pressure, we all answered present to the call to a family reunion in Miami. For Winnie, Roy, and I, it would be a first, and thinking it twice was not the word of order for this trip.

For me, this summer has been the best so far. Besides being fortunate to complete my second internship as a software engineer at Meta (Facebook), I felt ecstatic about living in the Big Apple (New York City) for about three months. Though I had so much fun during my time there, little did I know the 5-day trip we were yet to plan would surpass my entire experience in NYC.

So I boarded a plane to Miami, impatiently waiting to meet up with some of those who, thanks to Open Dreams, have gradually become part of my family. From Serena, my longtime classmate whom I met 13 years ago and have never been apart since, and instead got even more connected after both going through Open Dreams. To Roy, who was my junior in high school and whom I occasionally assisted and taught programming, and together with Winnie, whom I both taught and somehow assisted during their scholarship journeys after I had completed mine.

The experience was loaded. From fully renting my first car and driving across Florida, to discovering that I was secretly an adrenaline junky via my push to do almost all Miami had to offer. Thanks to our amazing host, we spent a considerable amount of time touring UMiami. We enjoyed their dining style, learned about their housing culture, and even teased Serena for not knowing what true cold meant, given the year-round weather in Miami. 

Our Miami trip was plagued with lots of daring challenges and first times. From swimming deep into the Miami beaches (even though some of us -lol actually most of us-didn’t know how to swim), to cruises through mud potholes on our ATVs, to watching Roy get kind of scolded as we were making our debuts as accredited jetski riders, and the peak of the peak was seeing Winnie say it can never be her while Roy and I made our ascent high in the sky on our parasail. 

Well, when I think about it, Miami wasn't just about these activities. Not at all. It was about the people who came together for them. A family from various parts of our country who converged to Open Dreams and who, instead of parting ways after “succeeding” in reaching the United States, decided to stick together and sustain the spirit of community. And that is what I love most about Open Dreams. 

Roy

After a summer consumed by bioinformatics research and endless hours in the lab at Penn, I found myself on a flight to Miami in mid-August. It wasn't a vacation in the traditional sense—it was something much more essential. Every break, I visit an Open Dreams scholar, because with them, I feel at home. And this time, home was waiting for me in Miami. There, Serena, Mohamed, and Winnie reminded me what family feels like.

Serena welcomed us with the kind of warmth only family can offer, touring us through UMiami campus on day one and setting the tone for what would become five unforgettable days. From parasailing above crystal waters to racing ATVs through trails, from the rush of jet skiing to the simple joy of beach sunsets, each experience was a first for me.

For someone whose summer was defined by cell biology and data analysis, these moments felt like breathing again. But what made them matter wasn't just the adventure—it was sharing them with people who understood the unique journey of being an Open Dreams scholar navigating life thousands of miles from where we started.

Now, back at Penn, there's a University of Miami cup on my desk—a gift from Serena that's become more than just swag. Every time I see it, I'm reminded that home isn't always a place you return to; sometimes it's the people you find along the way. Open Dreams gave me more than an education—it gave me a family that turns every University break into a homecoming, no matter which city we meet in.

Serena

How full of pride was I to cancel any plans I had during that week because ‘Friends from home were coming over to visit.’ As we walked around the University of Miami campus and I shared a glimpse of what I get to live in all year long, my heart was full of joy, for I could experience my kind of ‘family weekend’ (a period during which my classmates are opportuned to bring family members over to campus) this week. 

And we had conversations ranging from adapting in the fast-paced US environment, to funny memories of our time at the Open Dreams center in Yaounde, right up to thoughtful conversations on post-graduation plans, to investment ideas. As we explored the beaches of Miami and later enjoyed dinner around a plate of poulet DJ, my social battery felt recharged.

My highlight of the time spent together? The ATV rides. As someone who started off scared and did not want to give it a try, to not wanting to let go of the wheel, and who absolutely enjoyed her time, I drew courage from seeing Mohamed and Roy engage fearlessly while Winnie and I followed. And that’s the beauty in community. Tony Blackshaw once said: « It feels good to be in a community for it is, above all, bigger than individuals. We are something much more than individuals when we are part of a community. And this is how things ought to be.» 

Community makes us bigger and helps stretch our limits and boundaries, making us realize we can achieve far more than what we could imagine. Open Dreams provides such a community for me, wherein after every meeting I feel challenged, embraced, and encouraged. Perhaps within every scholar is ingrained the zeal to work hard, not just for self but to be an example to others. And this, among many other reasons, is why I am proud to be an Open Dreams scholar. 

Winnie Vallonia - Northwestern University '27

Mohamed Moumie - Harvard University '26

Roy Bruno - University of Pensilvania '27

Serena-Axelle - University of Miami '28