#iamchevening

[mridubhandari]

Honoured to be a part of this year's #CheveningScholars cohort. Starting this September, I'm taking a 1 year sabbatical from journalist life to go #backtoschool As 1 of 44 scholars (and the only journalist) chosen from India this year, I've been given an incredible opportunity to pursue a fully funded Masters Programme in the UK. I've chosen MSc Entrepreneurship at University College London @ucl Entrepreneurship is a subject I've followed passionately with a special focus on small businesses through my work and now I'll be looking at it with an academic lens. Really looking forward to experiencing a global campus, connected learning, immense diversity, networking with brilliant minds and living like a Londoner despite this crazy pandemic! Hope to return with added knowledge, skills and fresh ideas in 2022. This year's #Chevening cohort from India is amazing - from IPS and IAS officers to sustainability experts, lawyers, conservationists, development & public policy practitioners, social entrepreneurs and more - there is so much learning I'm looking forward to from my peers :) Thank you @ukfcdo for the opportunity. #CheveningScholarships are now open for next year and I'm happy to guide any aspirants! 🎊 #helloSeptember #iamchevening #chosenforchevening #bechevening #chevening #cheveningscholarship #cheveningindia #cheveningscholar #studyinuk #london #londonlife #london🇬🇧 #unitedkingdom https://www.instagram.com/p/CTTyOPPPjdm/?utm_medium=tumblr

[scholarshipja]

🥺 It’s really happening via @cheveningjamaica! Our 2022 Chevening scholars were treated to an evening of fun and networking at the British High Commission last evening. 🎉🎉🎉🇺🇦💐🍾 H.E Judith Slater commended the scholars on their achievement. Wishing our scholars all the best as they prepare to depart for the UK. #Iamchevening #Chosenforchevening #cheveningscholarship (at ScholarshipJamaica.com) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChxcywMOgIp/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ad27ar]

How do I want to remember 2020? 🦠😷🎓🏆🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇲🇾📺🤲🏼 #deathto2020 #netflixbinging #zoomparty #mycheveningjourney #covidcohort #iamchevening #lfcends30yearwait #quarantinelife #patience #gratithursday #welcome2021 #strathlife #strathbusiness https://www.instagram.com/p/CJd9ELThCxb/?igshid=av40to04elxa

[julzealejandre]

Perfectly lit. Edinburgh Castle and the Moon before the new year. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 📸 @beeayeelm #IAmChevening #MyCheveningJourney #CheveningSMA #CoolCities #LoveChevening #LoveUK #Edinburgh #Scotland #VisitScotland (at Edinburgh Castle)

[melissamarzo]

Back to school...in London!

Neal’s Yard, London

When I decided to move to a little island in Panama in 2015 to work for a nonprofit my family was terrified.

“Don’t worry, I have a plan”, I told them, “I’ll work abroad for a couple of years while I discover my true passion and in 2017 I’ll start my masters”

“How are you gonna afford that if you’re gonna be living like a hippie and not making any money?”

“Well I’ll search for and apply for a great scholarship! You’ll see”

It’s crazy to think that over 2 years after this conversation took place that’s exactly what happened: I’m in the U.K. about to start my MA in Education, Gender and International Development at University College London supported by a Chevening Scholarship.

Chevening Farewell ceremony with the U.K.’s ambassador in Lima

How did I get here?! Well, as 2015 was coming to a close I remember spending hours every other day researching different master programs I was interested in. I grabbed a notebook and wrote the ideal case scenario I wanted for my masters study: scholarship, big city with lots of museums and rock concerts available, prestigious university, etc. and then I made a list of all the fields I was interested in exploring: education, development, gender studies, international cooperation, languages, cross-cultural communication. I started narrowing everything down as I kept working on the field in Panama and I learned about the Chevening Scholarship because mentioned in a lot of the websites of U.K. universities I kept coming across.

Peruvian Chevening scholars (and flatmates!) at UCL

Applying for a Chevening Scholarship was a long, intense and rewarding process. I started working on my application last August 2016 after I had narrowed down the MA programs I wanted to apply to. I completed the online application, wrote and reviewed the essays requested (with the help of my dear friend Naomi, who provided invaluable feedback!), and by the time I submitted everything it was already October! In February 2017 I received the long-awaited notification that invited me for an interview at the U.K. Embassy in Lima and that I had to upload two letters of recommendation before the interview. My wonderful former bosses Rachel and Emily wrote amazing letters (4 in total! One for each of the universities I applied to and one for Chevening) and I had to fly to Lima for my interview because by then I was working in Ecuador. The interview took place in March and it wasn’t until June that I was able to call my sister crying tears of joy because I had just received the email confirming that it was happening, I had been selected to become a Chevening scholar!

Chevening scholars from Latinamerica and Africa at Russel Square

So as you see, loooooong process! But now (after lots of other additional processes such as getting my visa, finding a place to live and enrolling at uni) I’m finally here, prepping all my readings before classes start, exploring London and getting to know other Chevening scholars from all over the world!

I’m incredibly excited to have this opportunity and so ready to make the most of this year! If you have any recommendations on places to see and things to do around the U.K., do let me know! And if you’re interested in applying for a Chevening scholarship, you can find all the info here: www.chevening.org/apply

Cheers!

-Mel

[gitagowinda-blog]

After a year of study at @cardiffuni, finally an MBA degree! Happy graduation 👩‍🎓 #cardiffuni #cardiffunigraduation #graduation #mba #mycheveningjourney #iamchevening (at Cardiff) https://www.instagram.com/p/B0D40CMlOqj/?igshid=br0mz1jvycii

[rawaninamman]

Ever wondered how St Pancras looks like from the inside?

[lanreshaper-blog]

"A DREAM doesn't become REALITY through m-a-g-i-c, it takes sweat, determination and hardwork"-Colin Powell On this road of #BeingAndNotBecoming, I embrace it all! #MyCheveningJourney #OluwaDabiraFunmi #LanreInSussex #IamChevening (at Brighton)

[thisisnewcastleuni]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Steven Lawrence (@stvn_lw)

Welcome to our beautiful campus!  😊

"Welcome to the toon!  #newcastleuni #MyNclPics #iamchevening”

[oxford9]

So, it begins.

[scholarshipja]

SENDING ALL OUR BLESSINGS to @matthewtrugooner || #weveonlyjustbegun 🎨 Communications is a powerful tool, playing a central role in connecting people and driving developmental change. 🤯 I am excited to be pursuing my Masters in Media, Campaigning and Social Change at the @uniwestminster in London. As a creative, I will have the unique opportunity to enhance my skillset in #impactrelations and gain practical insight to the ethical design and deployment of Communication campaigns to support positive developmental initiatives in my island nation Jamaica 🇯🇲. 🛣️ I'm beyond grateful to have been selected as a 2022 Chevening scholar! This journey was a challenging one, requiring me to slay many dragons along the way, the biggest of all being #SELFDOUBT. 🙌 Thanks to the #network of unbelievably awesome human beings that rooted, encouraged, and guided me to this point. #GODAHWORK #iamchevening #chosenforchevening #cheveningscholar #londonbound #backtoschool #wearewestminster Thanks so much: @koga_ru @shenaejonas @garveyson_1983 @kaaramel.beautii @chevanobaker @me_as_kethania @lanisiarhoden @rosieposie.dlgr @t_annalisha @fergiepru @designerspryd @iamchinakaholder @jovjohnson (at ScholarshipJamaica.com) https://www.instagram.com/p/ChsdqHmukcC/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[ad27ar]

Humbled and privileged to share some insights today on the topic of Leadership in the Digital Age: Reality vs Perception? How trust is the new currency in the era of fake news and misinformation at the Chevening Conference 2020 to my fellow Chevening network. The conference was meant to be held in Edinburgh back in April but of course due to Covid19, it was cancelled. But thankfully, it's now being done virtually for the first time ever! This year's conference theme: Big ideas: Global leadership in 2020. Excited to also learn from fellow Chevening Scholars presenting their ideas towards leading and inspiring change on a local, national or global level. Another milestone unlocked.⭐️ Thank you @cheveningfco for the opportunity! 🥰 #CheveningConference2020 #myCheveningJourney #iamChevening #StrathLife #Leadership #DigitalTransformation #DigitalAge #GlobalLeadership #speakingengagement (at Glasgow, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGHni_B21q/?igshid=4hlhntejfru5

[julzealejandre]

Help tips for your Chevening application

I remember it was this time last year that I was more than a quarter done with my Chevening application. For those who are planning to apply this year, some of you may be on the same boat with me a year ago, and some may have just started theirs. No matter how much you have done so far, or what phase you are in right now, just continue.

For the past weeks, I have been receiving messages from a couple of people asking for tips with regard to Chevening application. Having applied for Chevening twice, I honestly believe that I do not have a lot to share. So, I asked out some Chevening scholars this year to share their “ultimate tips” when they were applying for Chevening.

Be prepared (in advanced)

Take advantage of the 3-month application period. Applications for Chevening runs from early August to early November yearly and I think that it is enough time to produce well-written essays and collect important documents. Chiara Zambrano, a Chevening scholar from the Philippines taking up Documentary by Practice at Royal Holloway, University of London, shares that it would be helpful to request necessary documents in advanced and create an accessible e-copy. According to Jam Usman, another Filipino Chevener taking up Islamic Finance and Management at Durham University, it is also important to be mindful of the deadlines [as there will surely be no extensions]. To know the deadlines by heart and try to work backwards for your timetable. By doing this, you would know and somehow track the progress of your application. It will also give you enough time to troubleshoot any problem that you will encounter along the way and improve your essays. Jam also suggests taking your IELTS [or any language test] as [early as possible]. Do not wait for the Chevening results before you take your language test. Having your language test result with you on the time of application will give you confidence. It will somehow increase your chance to get unconditional offers from universities. Taking the language test is quite expensive, so it would be better if you think about this fee as an investment.

Start your university hunting early on

Chevening provides its scholars a chance to study in a UK university for a taught postgraduate degree of their choice. In the application, you will be asked of your three university choices and the programmes you want to pursue. Renee Karunungan, a Filipino Chevening scholar doing Media and International Development in University of East Anglia suggests that it is better to enquire and apply to your prospective universities early on. Looking for universities in the UK is overwhelming because there’s a lot of choices and interesting programmes. Surely, you have a lot of considerations too such as the place, cost of living, ranking, programme, and so on. Try to rank these considerations before you start your hunting spree. When I applied for my universities, I considered the programme, the student satisfaction, and the place. Do your research and visit their websites. Most universities in the UK provides a lot of information in their websites so take advantage of these. Email programme coordinators and ask about your course of interest. This will help you when your write your essay about your university choice. University rankings are also helpful as it will help you match your chosen university to your past academic and work experience. One thing I learned from my university application is to categorise my university choices as “dream university” – those with high requirements, “chosen university” – those that matches your academic and work backgrounds, and “safe university” – those with lower requirements compared to your qualifications. Lastly, do not limit yourself from applying to only three universities. Apply to a couple more, just in case you need it.

Be succinct, coherent, substantive, and clear

The meat of your Chevening application are your essays, so try to focus and work hard on these. In the online form, you will be asked to write about your leadership skills, networking skills, university choices, and your career plan. For Geisha Sanchez, a Filipino scholar taking up Sustainable Development at University of Sussex, you should construct your essays in a way that they are a pleasure to read. Five hundred words is just enough so you should know what gems to include and to exclude. You should do this in a way that your essays will still be impressive enough to stand out. Remember that your essay is your initial weapon to be shortlisted for the second round of the application process. According to Omar Ammar, an Iraqi Chevening scholar taking up Human Clinical Embryology and Assisted Conception in University of Dundee, you also [need to] get your [essays] proofread [so it will be free from grammatical errors]. [Try to] make it informative and provide relevant facts and examples about your [skills and] qualities. Your essays are not stand alone so it would be great if you’ll present it by creating a clear storyline of your past background, current experiences, and your plans for the future.

Build your network

For Michelline Rama, a Filipino scholar taking up Social and Public Communication in London School of Economics, building a mini-Chevening network whilst preparing for your application will help you out and at the same time, keep you sane. She suggests connecting with friends who are also applying, past Cheveners, and even those who were rejected in their previous application. Their tips and experiences will encourage you to go on with your application. During my application, I connected with a lot of previous scholars and applicants worldwide who have provided me with tips and shared their stories. Honestly, these made my application easier because I felt I was doing the right way. I also suggest looking up for groups in social media with people who are also applying. These groups are wonderful spaces to know people from different countries and learn from their experiences. Take advantage also of educational fairs in your country. Most of the time, there are booths set up by the British Council, UKEAS, Study International, and the British Embassy that provide loads of information about UK university applications. Who knows, you might meet your “Chevening buddy” within that network!

Create a support system

Scholarship application can be both exciting and excruciating. Most of the time, you will experience mixture of anxiety, hopefulness, joy, rejection, and a lot more. So be prepared to have a roller coaster of these emotions. Tell your friends that you are applying and ask for their support. Request them to proofread your essays and comment on it. This support system will be your go-to people whenever you want to share something about your application – may it be a story of success or rejection. According to Ben Kalaw, another Pinoy scholar taking up Public Policy and Management at King’s College London, it also helps to get references from those people who believe in you and sees your potential. When I applied, I was blessed with great support systems who provided me with the moral support that I needed. I call them my #TeamCloseFriends and #TeamPrayerAngels. There were also my family, university professors, and workmates who uplifted my spirit all the time. These people were with me from start until now. I owe a part of this Chevening award to them.

Have a goal supported by a well-defined plan

Chevening scholars are known for having a clear vision for their country. This vision should be supported by a defined and thought out plan. It would be an advantage if you will be able to reflect these on your application essays. Geisha and Laura Simonyan, suggest that your vision and plan should be clear and should reflect yourself and your dream for your country. You should determine what you really want to do, to focus on one goal, and ponder on how it will be beneficial for your country. You should also think on how studying in a programme in the UK will help you achieve this goal. Lastly, clarity of thought is also important for Chiara who also pushes you to know why you want [the Chevening scholarship]. According to her, you have to show that you have a dream and a plan, and why Chevening is that one big step that could lead you to it.

Assess yourself

When I applied for Chevening, my first self-assessment question was “Am I ready?”, followed by “Why do I want this?” Your Chevening application will bring you to a different dimension of self-assessment and self-exploration. Personally, it helped me to know myself more and to stretch my limits, or even go beyond it. On the other hand, Ben suggests that when you apply for Chevening, you should not think of what you need to do to get an award. Rather, reflect and answer the essays as sincere as possible. [I]n doing so, you’ll discover if you have an idea of where your career and advocacy [would] take you.

Have a selfless purpose

For Bam Baraguir, a Pinoy scholar taking up Conflict Resolution at University of Bradford, [Chevening] scholarship is not for you but for your country. Amar also shares that you should not make everything only about yourself, that you should show how your country will benefit [from the scholarship]. This is true because Chevening scholars are expected to go back to their countries after a year of studying in the UK. They are expected to apply whatever they learnt for the development of their nations. Ananda Nidhi also suggests that you should be able to show that through Chevening, you can make a more positive difference in your country, and not just improve your career. Santiago Esquivel, also shares that Chevening is an international strategy of the UK government [to build stronger bilateral relations with different countries], so you should focus your interest around what UK is already doing in your home country. I once said that my scholarship is not just for me but for the Filipinos, and I am just representing them in this journey to help them achieve their dreams too. Whilst doing your application, try to understand that you are doing this for your country, because you love your people and you want to help them.

Be ready for the next step

No one knows the outcome of your application until they make the announcement in mid-February for the interview shortlist and in mid-June for the final results. But after sending your application in November, try to be positive and prepare yourself for the next step. Prepare for both outcomes – of not being accepted or being accepted. If you are shortlisted for the interview, Danilo Vidad, another Pinoy scholar taking up Security, Peace-building, and Diplomacy at Loughborough University London suggests that you should prepare well for the it. Be credible and back up what you have written in your essays with clear and detailed facts. If ever you will not be accepted for the second round, stay positive and just carry on.

We hope these tips will help and guide you for the success of your Chevening application. Trust me, there’s no more great feeling you can have right now but that experience of being a few steps away from achieving your selfless dream.

[melissamarzo]

3 highlights of the past week

Uni life:

I’m a big nerd and I came to study my masters so of course one of the highlights of the past week was my very first class at the Institute of Education! This term I’m taking two modules: “Gender, Education and Development” and “Education and International Development, Concepts, Theories and Issues”. I had my first GED class and it was even more than I was expecting, my professors kept the conversations and exchange of ideas alive in class while also reviewing the theories and content we had assigned for that class (which we had to read in advance, there’s looooots of required readings before class involved). Even at the end of class the professors would stay around further discussing the topic with any student that approached them. But uni life isn’t only class, at UCL there’s literally hundreds of student-led societies that go from sports clubs to a Harry Potter club. I joined the welcome event to the Vegetarian and Vegan Society (because well, I’m a vegetarian) and got to meet many people from different faculties around UCL! All of the societies are having free events called “tasters” where you can join and learn and experience the different activities they offer before you buy a membership to join them, which is brilliant!

To finish the work week, Cheveners at UCL received the visit of our Program Officer, Marzana. She gave us our Chevening ID cards which we’ll use for the upcoming welcome event this October where ALL of the Chevening scholars studying around the U.K. will meet for a day, that’s over 1000 of us!  

UCL Chevening scholars and our PO, Marzana

London Chevening scholars having a picninc at Hyde Park

Reunions:

London’s turning out to be the place where I’m reuniting with lots of wonderful friends I hadn’t seen in a while! On Monday I met up with my friends Jossie and Ale (SWY27), I hadn’t seen Ale in over 2 years and after not seeing her for months I met up with Jossie the first week I arrived to London. On Sunday, I met my friend Shelby (VivePerú 2014) and her sister who were spending a few days traveling in London before heading back to the U.S. Not only have I been meeting up with old friends, but I’ve met with some of the wonderful ladies from the “girlsLOVEtravel” community in person after many online interactions through FB and made new friends this way! Really just seems like everyone’s coming to London!  

London Markets:

I didn’t know markets were such a big thing here and now I’m on a hunt to visit as many road markets as I can in the city! Honestly, there’s nothing quite like walking around Borough Market and smelling the delicious food offered in the different kiosks, food from all over the world served right next to each other! Portobello Road Market is surrounded by cute colorful houses and is full of chatty vendors that sell anything you can think off: vintage records, beautifully decorated mirrors, hats of all colours and sizes, you name it! Of course not all of these are budget-friendly so you really have to control the temptation! My favorite so far though has been Camden Stables Market, it gets its name because it used to be a labyrinth of (you guessed it) horse stables which even included a horse hospital. Now it’s the home of many colorful stores, food stalls and a bronze statue of Amy Winehouse.

Borough Market

Portobello Road Market

Camden Stables Market

Bonus:

I WENT TO SEE THE “HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD” AND IT WAS AMAZING! Ok, that’s it for today then, carry on.

Cheers!

-Mel

[greenuruguayanbrighton]

En este posteo, mi intención es hacer un repaso de todas las actividades y conferencias que tuve este mes pasado. Si, conferencias, fué un mes muy movido, donde tuve prácticamente un evento por semana, y hasta dos en la misma semana. Pasaron muchas cosas, muy buenas y otras no tanto, o quizás curiosas, pero lo que es seguro es que fué sumamente productivo (a pesar de estar perdiendo tiempo de trabajo en mi proyecto final) y logré hacer muchísimos contactos, ordenar algunas ideas, o asentar otras. Algo que suelo decir, especialmente a mis compañeros/as, es que estas actividades no son una perdida de tiempo, se aprende muchísimo (yo aprendí a como presentar un poster académico, me ejercité en como plantear un abstract y hablar de una investigación aprendiendo de los estudiantes de doctorado y sus proyectos, etc.), y a la vez, a veces hasta son un atajo al lugar donde queremos llegar. A continuación les dejo el repaso de las diferentes conferencias con algunas fotos y comentarios adicionales.

La primer conferencia que tuve fué cerquita, en mi Universidad, desafortunadamente no tengo fotos, fué sencilla y bastante corta, me movilizó a organizar mis ideas sobre como encarar todas las siguientes. 

Lo que se ve en la foto anterior, es la segunda conferencia del mes, en ese caso en la Universidad de Cambridge, donde presenté mi poster y mi herramienta dado que el tema de la conferencia era Food Security. Fué una muy buena experiencia aunque con algunos golpes como que me desaparecieran piezas de mi Toolkit, y otros detalles menores. Igualmente, fué un buen repaso del panorama y discusión académico sobre este tema, especialmente desde el campo de las ciencias. Me dió muchisimo para reflexionar e ideas de como instrumentar mi proyecto final.

La tercer, y mas importante, conferencia fué en mi ciudad nuevamente, una de las conferencias de diseño mas importantes del mundo, cabe aclarar, de investigación en diseño, por lo que el perfil es principalmente académico. Uno de los miembros principales de la Sociedad de Investigación en Diseño (DRS) es profesor de mi Facultad, y por eso tenía en la mira este evento desde el año pasado. Por esa razón, me postulé como voluntaria para poder aprovechar al máximo de todos los eventos, casi desde adentro, y sin impacto al bolsillo. Fué una gran oportunidad tener el rol de voluntaria, la conferencia tuvo una cantidad altísima de aplicaciones para voluntarios, por los que nos eligieron con cierto criterio, que debo decir, fué muy bueno. Aprendí muchísimo e hice amigo/as nuevos del grupo de voluntarios que fué variadísimo e internacional. Así lo fué también la gama de presentaciones, workshops y asistentes a la conferencia, de casi todos los rincones del mundo literalmente.  De las mejores cosas fué poder tener contacto directo (muchas veces como ayudante en los workshops) con los investigadores a quienes sigo y que recurrentemente cito en mi propio trabajo. De allí salieron buenas charlas, posibilidad de ahondar y explotar los contactos, así como aprender mucho más sobre sus posturas a ideas. Algunos nombres a destacar, y que se pueden ver en las fotos a continuación fueron: Pieter Desmet, Paul Micklethwaite, Rick (Impsible recordar el apellido) - el nuevo editor del Food Design Journal (para mi sorpresa!), Thomas Binder y el genio Ezio Manzini

Pero no todo fué productividad, discusión académica, networking y aprendizaje, también se disfrutaron las actividades mas casuales de las que todos los voluntarios pudimos participar como la recepción inicial en el Museo de Arte de Brighton, la recepción de cierre en un pub sobre la playa, y la gran cena de gala en el Grand Hotel, con el menú a cargo de Silo, el restaurante local, y donde tuve la oportunidad de tener mi menú 100% vegano, lo que solo significó pequeñas adaptaciones ya que el menú era principalmente vegetariano (y la conferencia también lo fué!). 

La semana fué sumamente intensa pero motivadora y extremadamente útil, ahora queda esperar la siguiente dentro de 2 años en Irlanda. Como los voluntarios éramos todos estudiantes (principalmente Maestrías y Doctorados), ya sugerimos nuestro reencuentro en la próxima, quizás ahi presentando nuestro trabajo, quien sabe! El cierre de la semana fué un evento de networking de una campaña llamda The Crunch en la cual soy embajadora. Radicamente diferente pero nuevamente útil, de nuevo brindando la chance de conectarme con la gente que trabaja en la misma linea que yo, y encontrando oportunidades de diseminar mi trabajo, y de que otros puedan usarlo. Como comentario adicional, estos eventos son una buena prueba y ejercicio para medirse a uno mismo/a, donde estamos paradas en relación al gran universo de investigación que existe ahi afuera. La comparación ayuda y nutre (y a veces descubrimos que nuestro trabajo y rigor es mucho mayor del de otros/as en posiciones mas altas y con mas oportunidades), y también motiva y confirma cuando estamos en el camino adecuado. El camino hacia adelante es largo, pero la ruta misma es de lo mas disfrutable.

Cierre de la conferencia, l*s voluntari*s en el escenario, las gracias del equipo y de los espectadores. La diversidad era clara, de izquierda a derecha: Inglaterra, Turquía, Alemania, Dinamarca, Uruguay!, Alemania, Inglaterra, Latvia, Inglaterra/Irlanda.

[rawaninamman]

Tea Cups Heaven