Walking the road and broadening it up for others | Niba Ernest

Open Dreams
11 minutes ago
2 min read

Some months ago, I shared my story of how I gained access to the quality education I received at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi through the #MastercardFoundationScholarsProgram.

This came at a time when, despite strong academic results, I was faced with uncertainty about my future due to the lack of career counseling and guidance after high school—a challenge that many secondary school students in Cameroon continue to face.

Since 2015, I had made it a personal mission to counsel high school students on the opportunities that exist if they dare to dream, while providing them with access to the resources they needed.

Along this journey (a few months back), I came across Open Dreams, a dynamic community dedicated to equalizing access to quality education for high-achieving, low-income Cameroonian students, while also grooming them into the leaders of today and tomorrow. It was easy to align myself with Open Dreams because, while the drive to create change is personal, that drive becomes stronger when amplified through an institution that shares your values.

Following this year’s inspiring #GraduateSummit and #CollegeOrientationProgram, I am humbled to take on the role of Mentor to Open Dreams (pre-)scholars. My focus will be on guiding students interested in studying medicine and health-related fields in and outside Cameroon, hopefully through the Mastercard Foundation Scholars Program, with emphasis on returning and giving back to our nation.

I am deeply inspired by the passion, energy, and commitment of the Open Dreams Educational NGO facilitators, mentors, scholars, and pre-scholars.

I am excited to see the national and international leaders this community will raise in the years ahead. Truly, we never stop learning.