The laureate of the year 2023 opens up in a magnificent testimony. She shares her journey and how she plans to pursue her dreams to the end. Thank you Eri.
Patrick (for AFED): Hello Erika, thank you for agreeing to share your testimony on the AFED website. You are the laureate of the year 2023, and you have brightened this edition with your smile and determination. Tell us a bit about your journey since high school.
Erika: Hello Patrick. It’s my pleasure to share my journey, and I hope it can inspire the young people who come across it. After obtaining my high school diploma (baccalauréat D) at Leclerc High School, I went directly into physiotherapy training. In fact, in my sophomore year, I already knew that this was what I wanted to do after graduation. So, I enrolled at ISTAG, where I spent 3 years to obtain the BTS (in physiotherapy, it takes 3 years to get the BTS instead of the usual 2 years for a conventional BTS in Cameroon, Note: BTS = Higher Technical Certificate).
Then, I spent an additional year to earn my Bachelor’s degree in physiotherapy. During these 4 years of training, I had the opportunity to do internships in various hospitals in Yaoundé, including CNRPH (National Center for the Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons), the district hospital of Cité Verte, CMA Mvog-beti, and the district hospital of Mbalmayo.
Patrick (for AFED): Now that you have obtained your degree, how do you plan for your future? What is your professional dream?
Erika: After specializing in sports physiotherapy, my professional project is to work with players and athletes (which will allow me to travel a lot, laughs), and later on, to open a gym, God willing – a rehabilitation center for children with disabilities.
Patrick (for AFED): I believe you have a particular connection with disability. Can you tell us more about it?
Erika: Disability is particularly close to my heart due to my own experience. When I was little, I had rehabilitation sessions for my foot because I was born with a minor malformation that required regular care from a physiotherapist. As I grew up and observed the experts, I developed my own physiotherapy skills, and my mothers often asked me to massage them – and it worked very well. I remember one of them saying, “Eri, you can do physiotherapy when you have your high school diploma… think about it!” All of this led me to choose physiotherapy, and I am particularly passionate about helping children born with disabilities so that they can integrate well into their environment and lead a normal life.
Patrick (for AFED): Thank you very much, Eri, for this testimony! It’s very enlightening.
Erika: You’re welcome, the pleasure is all mine.