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My mom was a champion for education. Throughout her life, she gave generously of her time and money to help others achieve independence through education. Here is a letter I wrote about her on August 18, 2023.
As a way to honor her legacy, I'm setting up a scholarship memorial fund in her name. Funds raised will establish endowed scholarships at Southwest Minnesota State University, Syracuse University, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
These scholarships will support students who have demonstrated financial need. In this way, Maman Monique can continue to help others become self-sufficient.
To date, 133 people have generously donated to the fund. By the end of 2023, the goal is to reach 222 donors.
We’re up to 191 donors and have raised enough $$$ to endow a Maman Monique Memorial Fund @ Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU)! It’s becoming real…
We reached 232 donors by January 1, 2024, 10 over our lofty goal set in November.
My mom's legacy lives on through the support, care, and sacrifice made by every single donor. Thank you!
Today is my mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Momma!
Today is also the day I’m so proud to announce that beginning this Fall and every year after that, a student at SMSU will receive a $4,000 “Maman Monique” scholarship.
Thank you to all the donors. Thank you. 🙏🏿❤️
Back in late March 2024, I visited a friend, Anthony, who was in his first year of the MBA program at Harvard University. During my visit, he took me to one of his classes, where I was introduced to his friend Haan. After the class, Haan graciously offered us a ride to Neptune Oyster, a restaurant in the city. After dropping us off, we said our goodbyes to Haan.
Fast forward three months, and I get an unexpected message from Haan. He asked if I could serve as a judge for a hackathon he was organizing. My immediate thoughts were: 1) We’ve only met once, and now you want me to judge a competition for you? 2) I have so much on my plate already! 3) Okay, fine! I’ll do it.
I agreed, thinking it would be a brief commitment, just a couple of hours. Then, I received the itinerary a week later and discovered it was an all-day event - on a Sunday, no less! Honestly, I considered backing out, but ultimately decided to follow through with my commitment.
On Sunday, June 30, 2024, I joined the most well-organized international Zoom call and competition ever! The hackathon featured 61 teams, with 225 participants from 37 countries. Thirty judges - including myself - met in a Zoom room before being split into smaller groups to evaluate pitches and send participants to the next round. Most of the judges were doctors and neurosurgeons, which made me wonder if Haan had mistakenly assumed I was one too. My suspicion was heightened when a neurosurgeon addressed me as “Dr. Idriss.” I quickly corrected them, but I must admit, for an instant, it felt great to be Neurosurgeon Dr. Idriss!
We narrowed down the 61 teams to the top 10, and everyone gathered in the same Zoom room for the final presentations. As I listened to each team’s pitch for life-saving solutions for the challenge they were assigned, I was struck when the next group was announced: Team Camerún. I was perplexed at first, its team members might be soccer fans, I quipped. Then, I realized that it was actually a team of three participants from Cameroon, presenting their project live from their mobile phones. I can’t adequately express the emotions I felt seeing them present, nor their emotions when they were announced as the winners of the entire competition! Yes, they won! They became the first team from a lower-middle-income country to win the hackathon.
Next, I congratulated them on LinkedIn and tried to move on, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what they had achieved. I reached out to Haan and told him I already had a planned visit to Cameroon in a few weeks, and offered to take photos and videos of the winners. Without hesitation, he said it would be amazing. So, I packed my gear and traveled for hours to their homes to document their stories. This video is the result of those stories.
After returning to the U.S., I thought my involvement with Team Camerún was over. But then Haan asked if I could attend the Congress of Neurological Surgeons conference in Houston, Texas, at the end of September. He planned to highlight Team Camerún in his presentation. I agreed again and was lucky enough to meet Dr. Q.
Standing before an audience of doctors, neurosurgeons, and medical students, I recounted my experience that started with a simple yes to volunteer my time. At the end of my talk, I offered each member of Team Camerún a Maman Monique scholarship to support their medical school education. It was an emotional moment, one that I knew would have made her proud…
Haan - Anthony - Idriss
Idriss - Dr. Q - Haan
From Cameroon Insider Newspaper