Student Life
Education
Increasing Your Surface Area of Luck: Nine Practices for Emerging African Professionals
The writer reflects on how she accumulated over $250,000 in grants, scholarships, and international opportunities as a young Cameroonian woman without family wealth or political connections—and attributes this not to talent alone but to deliberately expanding her exposure to opportunities and people. She offers nine practical strategies for other young Africans to do the same.
The Camera at Secondary School: Money, Aspiration, and the Entrepreneurial Awakening
A writer recalls purchasing a camera on credit during secondary school and building a photography business to bridge the gap between his limited pocket allowance and the material aspirations of his peers. The venture became his first lesson in accounting, customer service, and the economics of scarcity—and eventually contributed to his expulsion from the institution.
Sexual Harassment at UB: Institutional Failure and the Work Ahead
The writer recounts a near-rape incident involving a friend and a lecturer at the University of Buea, using it as a lens to examine how institutional power, gendered vulnerability, and victim-blaming enable sexual violence in Cameroonian universities. The piece argues that while feminist activism has brought necessary scrutiny to patriarchy and sexual assault, the systemic failures that allow predators to operate with impunity remain largely unaddressed.
A Programmer's Gift: Building Access to Technology for Young Women in Cameroon
An engineer reflects on founding a computer programming club at her former secondary school, motivated by her own lack of early exposure to the field. She argues that technology is an equalizer and that early exposure—particularly for girls—can reshape educational and career possibilities.
Brain Drain or Brain Waste: On Leaving and Returning
The post reflects on six Burundian robotics students who disappeared in the US during a competition, using their choice as a lens to examine the continent's talent migration. The writer argues that while leaving Africa to develop one's potential may be understandable, the deeper obligation is to eventually return and apply that knowledge at home.