Blaise Buma
"Open Dreams was started based upon the fulfillment of my own dream. I was born into extremely modest circumstances in Bamenda, Cameroon and was afforded the opportunity to study at Washington & Lee on a full scholarship at the age of 21. I was the first member of my family to pursue a college education abroad, after making huge sacrifices and overcoming very difficult odds. My love for my native country and my unwavering commitment to one day better the region through economic and political advancement drove me to seek higher education in the developed world and today I am enabled and motivated to give back.
When I graduated from high school, I refused to be constrained by limited financial resources or geographical and cultural barriers to getting a decent education. I was lucky to have met Morgan, an American woman who had come to do some work in Cameroon. Morgan helped to pay for my college application process including paying for application fees, buying SAT and TOEFL prep. materials as well as paying for my flight to the US and buying my first laptop. I am always indebted to her for the time and resources she invested to help me realize my goal of studying in the US.
I am telling my story to inspire others who may want to give, reach out and help but do not know how. Thanks to the kindness of this young American girl, I was able to attend Washington and Lee University and I went to study abroad at the London School of Economics for one year where I discovered a passion for finance. Thereafter I interned at Deutsche Bank and returned to W&L for my senior year. I then was a Schwarzman Scholar studying in China, I currently work for a Venture Capital Firm in Mali, and will continue my education at the Harvard Business School next year.
I started Open Dreams to help others in a similar situation. I hope to someday return home and contribute to the political and economic development of my home country. Founding Open Dreams was the first step in this process."
Blaise Buma is Open Dreams first success story and the reason that we exist as an organization. Blaise comes from Bamenda, Cameroon where he excelled at school and received top marks on the GCE. He aspired to study in the US and met an American volunteering in Cameroon. With her help and his constant drive, he was able to apply to several universities in the US and ended up attending Washington and Lee University on a full scholarship. He then studied at the LSE where he met Cristina. He later assisted his sister, Sonia Buma, to get a full scholarship at McGill University. Forming Open Dreams shortly thereafter, Blaise's story has been the catalyst by which we have now helped secure 200+ international scholarships and opportunities for our scholars. He recently completed a degree at Harvard Business School and is launching Kappa Pay to revolutionize payment in Africa. He also was selected as a Schwarzman Scholar and helped two additional Open Dreams Scholars to attend the same prestigious program in China. He hopes to not only train the most brilliant minds in Cameroon, but also to build the next generation of responsible leaders throughout Africa!
