A young Cameroonian engineer’s journey from self-doubt to second place, and why the tech world should remember her name.
There is an old proverb that says, “A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.” But what happens when the candle must burn alone, in a room full of strangers, carrying the fire of an entire team?
On April 18, 2026, at the University of Buea, that question found its answer in the form of a young mechatronics engineering student named Chick Praises Nalia Atam
The Stage Was Set
The event was IWD “Break the Pattern”: The AI Revolution, Start Before You’re Ready, a celebration of International Women’s Day organized by MentorshipMatters Africa, Her Blueprint Africa, and Women Techmakers. The theme itself was a challenge: stop waiting for permission, stop waiting for perfection, and start anyway.
Mentorship Matters Africa, founded by Endah Bongo-Awah in Cameroon and now operating from Germany, has built its mission on a simple but radical belief, that mentorship transforms lives, careers, and communities across Africa. Their IWD 2026 event brought together innovators, dreamers, and builders to showcase AI projects that could shape the future of the continent.
The lineup included an AI Innovation Showcase, networking with tech leaders, and a palpable energy of women refusing to wait their turn.
And then there was Chick Praises Nalia Atam, who almost didn’t show up at all.
The Moment Before the Breakthrough
Chick Praises was not supposed to pitch alone.
She was part of Team GEMS, a group that had poured their collective intelligence into building the Smart Ward Monitoring System, a project designed to revolutionize how hospitals track patient health in real time. The system uses AI-powered analysis to monitor vital signs, detect deterioration early, and prevent the kind of tragedies that happen when warning signs go unnoticed.
But at the last minute, circumstances shifted. Her teammates couldn’t make it. The plan unraveled.
“I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t go. I felt discouraged. I questioned if I could really do it on my own.”
She could have stayed home. No one would have blamed her. The pattern would have held: wait until conditions are perfect, wait until everyone is ready, wait until you feel confident.
But Chick Praises chose a different path.
“A Team Lives in Each of Its Members”
What she realized in that moment of doubt carries the weight of wisdom far beyond her years:
“A team is not just people standing together in one place… A team lives in each of its members.”
She carried her teammates with her, not physically, but in every line of code they had written together, every late-night brainstorming session, every shared vision of a healthcare system that doesn’t let patients slip through the cracks.
She showed up. She stood for what they built. She pitched.
And she walked away with second place.
The Project: Smart Ward Monitoring System
The Smart Ward Monitoring System is precisely the kind of innovation Africa needs. In a continent where, according to the World Health Organization, healthcare systems are often stretched thin and early warning signs can go undetected, a system that provides continuous, intelligent monitoring could save countless lives.
The technology works by:
- Receiving real-time vital signs from IoT devices at patient bedsides
- Analyzing data through AI to detect patterns that indicate deterioration
- Generating instant alerts to healthcare workers when intervention is needed
- Creating a digital patient file that follows the patient through referrals, ensuring no critical information is lost
It’s the kind of project that doesn’t just demonstrate technical skill, it demonstrates purpose. And purpose, more than code, is what separates a school project from a movement.
Who Is Chick Praises Nalia Atam?
She is a Mechatronics Engineering student at the Faculty of Engineering and Technology, University of Buea. She describes herself as an Aspiring Robotics & Automation Engineer, with a particular passion for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 5 (Gender Equality).
But titles and descriptions only tell part of the story.
What the titles don’t capture is the courage it takes to walk into a room alone when you expected to walk in with your team. What the descriptions don’t convey is the quiet resolve required to speak for others when they cannot speak for themselves.
In her own words, reflecting on the experience:
“Beyond the result, I gained something even more valuable, confidence, growth, and insightful feedback that will help us improve and push this project even further.”
And then, the line that matters most:
“Sometimes, leadership is simply showing up when it’s hardest. And sometimes, one voice can carry the strength of many.”
Why This Matters
There is a pattern in Africa’s tech story, one of immense talent held back by limited access, of brilliant ideas that never find a stage, of young people waiting for conditions that may never arrive.
Mentorship Matters Africa exists to break that pattern. Their mission is to build a culture of mentorship that nurtures confidence, leadership, and collaboration among young people, creating accessible pathways for growth regardless of background or location.
Chick Praises Nalia Atam is living proof that this mission works.
She didn’t wait for perfect conditions. She didn’t wait for her full team. She didn’t wait for confidence to arrive on its own. She started before she was ready, and in doing so, she became exactly the kind of leader the continent needs.
A Name to Watch
The tech world has a habit of celebrating only those who have already arrived. But the real story is always in the becoming, the moments when someone chooses courage over comfort, when they show up despite every reason not to, when they carry the weight of a team’s dreams on their own shoulders.
Chick Praises Nalia Atam is building something. Not just a monitoring system, but a legacy of showing up.
Her closing words after the event serve as both a reflection and a declaration:
“We keep building. We keep growing. We keep going.”
Remember her name. Watch her journey. And if you’re standing at the edge of your own stage, uncertain whether to step forward, let her story remind you:
Sometimes, one voice can carry the strength of many.
Connect with Chick Praises Nalia Atam
📍 LinkedIn: linkedin.com
About the Event
IWD “Break the Pattern”:
The AI Revolution, Start Before You’re Ready
📅 April 18, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
📍 University of Buea, Cameroon
Organized by:
- Women Techmakers
- mentorshipmattersafrica.com — Meet the other you
- Her Blueprint Africa — Think Globally, Act Locally
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