Scholarship / Networking is a matter of cause and effect. Networking essay for Chevening [3]

Hey guys! I've just found this community and it's heartwarming to know that there are such empathetic people out there!
I'm applying for Chevening scholarship and it would be great if you could take a look at this essay for me:

"Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage with the Chevening community and influence and lead others in their chosen profession. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your networking skills, and outline how you hope to use these skills in the future.

(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

chevening wants to know my networking skills

I have learnt that networking relationships must be authentic. Having thousands of networking partners might not allow us to connect with those who are truly important. Hence, I have assumed that holding few, but strong networking partners can be much more valuable for both, personal and professional life.

Building a trustworthy network requires a lot of effort. However, it must be natural and enjoyable for those involved. My most significant networking partners are the ones whose work or personality I have learned to respect and admire.

I believe my networking skills started growing strong from the point I realized that it has to begin by helping others. Once you change your attitude towards potential partners in that way, their reaction will be positively proportional and inevitable.

I has first become clear to me during my volunteer internship at the Sao Paulo Zoo. I had the opportunity to get to know some of the most prestigious biologists and veterinarians of the country. Their passion for the job and their team bounds made me immediately recognize in them a natural connection that lasts until today. We still share technical experiences about animal care and conservation strategies.

For my next challenge on the wild animal releasing project (Projeto Asas Vila Verde), networking became even more necessary. As the head biologist, I had to stablish a reliable relationship with governmental agencies, wildlife centres, research institutions and the local community. Networking was the key strategy to bring them to work with alongside us. Therefore, we started from disseminating information about how important our job was for our common environment and how positively it would influence in people's lives.

The next step was pursuing stakeholders. We developed a marketing strategy aiming to burst the project's popularity through social media, local magazines, radio and television channels, as well as promoting events such as birdwatching workshops and lectures on animal trafficking and wildlife conservation. We also published papers in university conferences. As a result, we triggered the interest of students who undertook their thesis and dissertations with research in our centre, and the sponsorships allowed us to enlarge our infrastructure, our team and our work capacity.

Networking is a matter of cause and effect. For having understood that I am now ready to develop my skills on this field. Studying and living abroad is exactly what I need in order to bring back to my home country the international and high quality knowledge on how to develop strong network for the conservation of nature."

Thanks for your time, guys!

Scholarship / Three MSc courses for wildlife conservation. Why do I have chosen them? [2]

Hey guys! This is my draft for the essay about the three courses i have chosen for the Chevening applycation. I'd like to count on you to proofread it for me. I'm not an english native speaker, so it is probably full of grammar and spelling mistakes, and poor in vocabulary. Do you guys think i managed to answer the prompt bellow?

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words).

biodiversity conservation programs in brazil

"Designing and coordinating effective biodiversity conservation programs is one of the critical challenges our society is currently facing. As a conservation biologist, I have chosen three MSc courses that directly link my professional and academic background with my desire to create new strategies and improve the ongoing environmental policies in Brazil.

The Nottingham Trent University has been carrying out high impact research, as endorsed by the Research Excellence Framework. Its collaboration with several research councils for the development of species reintroduction strategies, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature, will allow me to build a strong network with institutions engaged on biodiversity conservation.

In order to carry out postgraduate research, I plan to join the School of Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences, undertaking the MSc course "Endangered Species Recovery and Conservation". I am especially interested in areas such as behavioural enhancement and species recovery, in which research have been carried out by the Animal, Equine and Veterinary Nursing academic team.

As my second choice, the MSc in Wild Animal Biology course designed by the Royal Veterinary College with the Zoological Society of London is perfectly aligned with my profound interest in conservation biology. This course focus on health management of captive and free-living wild animals, which represents a bridge between my experience as a biologist and the veterinarian perspective for conservation techniques.

The University of London multidisciplinary environment will broaden my understandings on wildlife management. In addition, London's multiculturalism will allow me to experience an inclusive atmosphere and enhance my abilities to understand people.

My experience as the head biologist at the wildlife project I work for showed me that basic competences in veterinary techniques, as well as a systematic understanding of wild animal conservation, epidemiology, diagnosis and control of diseases are critical for wildlife conservation. These abilities are all present in the course module.

Synthesizing the knowledge provided by this course with my experience in wild animal management will qualify me to carry out my PhD studies in biodiversity conservation and run import wildlife programs in Brazil.

The School of Science and the Environment of the Manchester Metropolitan University is my third choice. It has strong research links with South America, where Dr Alexander Lee have been carrying out studies in the Brazilian Amazon.

Since birds are the biggest victims of animal trafficking in Brazil and the most frequent taxon in the wild animal release project I work for, and several endemic species, such as the blue macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) and the glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) are critically endangered, I intend to devote even more to the conservation of this group.

The MSc in Bird Conservation is, overall, an opportunity to experience ongoing international research projects in Tanzania, Kenya, the Philippines, Mauritius and Madeira, and will provide me with all the necessary skills for the implement of programs in wildlife conservation. This is an essential step towards my desired PhD, and it will allow me to contribute to the improvement of the Brazilian policies for biodiversity conservation".

Thank you very much!

Scholarship / Chevening Scholarship: LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCING SKILLS FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION [2]

Hello guys... this is my first draft for the Leadership and Influence essay. Have i reached the prompt assessment?

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers in their home countries. Explain how you meet this requirement, using clear examples of your own leadership and influencing skills to support your answer.

(minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

LEADERSHIP AND INFLUENCING SKILLS FOR BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION

"I grew up in a humble family and lost my father when I was 13. I had to start working at a young age to help my mother raise my two siblings. Motivated to help my family, I matured and developed a positive mental attitude and a strong work ethic which has stayed with me into adulthood. Now, I can clearly see the benefits of my hard work.

Over the course of my life, I have developed my own strategies to succeed. It makes me particularly proud that I have found new ways to push myself further when facing significant setbacks. Through hard work and learning from my failures and my successes, I have worked my way up into a position of leadership in my chosen career as a conservation biologist.

I first developed a passion for working with animals at the São Paulo Zoo where I participated in several conservation projects for endangered species. They had very complex protocols for animal welfare, behavioral enhancement and wildlife conservation based on many decades of research. I used this wealth of experience and knowledge to develop various abilities for that type of work and to enhance my ability to work within a team.

My next role was at Project Asas Vila Verde (a wild animal release centre). Over the course of five years, I worked from the position of intern up to my current position as head biologist in my department. I am responsible for coordinating and advising several teams, all the way from the animal keepers to the directors.

Using my previous experience, I identified many areas of potential development and proposed significant changes in animal care that later improved our results significantly. I used these positive results to show the team that good work in this field is often an incentive in itself.

One of the biggest changes I implemented on the project was recruiting volunteers from local community to work with alongside us. By contacting the community leaders, school principals, local secretaries and other authorities, I organized the Vila Verde Wildlife Monitoring Group, which has now more than 40 volunteers. I introduced them to our monitoring strategies and taught them how to recognise and identify released birds and how to record useful data to enhance our interpretation of the results. This local awareness of our work had added the advantage of getting the community on board.

I am good at identifying individual strengths and personality and then being able to motivate them within a team environment to unite our strengths to further nature conservation.

I have shown throughout my career that I am able to take on knowledge from both written sources and personal experiences. As leader, I must continue to improve and learn from my experiences and future education to carry on applying them and improving my team at work. By studying in the UK, it is my hope to move forward to achieve my goal to work within some of the important conservation programs in Brazil."

What do you think?

Scholarship / Chevening post-study plans: Wildlife Connecting Brazil and the UK [3]

Hi everyone! This is my drift for the chevening post-study plans essay. I'd really appreciate if you guys could take a look at if for me and help me improve my grammar and the general essay content. Thanks in advance!

Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country. (minimum word count: 100 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

implementing effective environmental policies

In spite of the environmental policies adopted by several governments around the world, only a deep understanding of natural processes can allow us to succeed in tackling the loss of biodiversity. Bearing these considerations in mind, I have established my immediate and long-term career plans early in my academic life.

The lack of effective methods for the reproduction of endangered species in captivity and their further reintroduction in protected areas, has led me to carry out my undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and work as a conservation biologist.

The improvements that I have made as head biologist at the Projeto Asas Vila Verde (a wild animal release centre) has shown me how much I can contribute to the conservation of nature. Despite this, I feel that in order to continue my progress, I must develop a deeper and wider range of science-based knowledge. Therefore, I will undertake my PhD in Conservation Biology as soon as I return to Brazil with the purpose of synchronizing the advanced research that I will have developed in the UK with specific Brazilian needs.

The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund established by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of the UK government has committed £14 million to 47 projects in more than 30 countries since 2013. None of them in South America. None of them in Brazil. It is unacceptable that such global effort have not yet reached one of the world's most biodiverse country. Thus, my immediate goal is to ensure that the Brazilian conservation projects will be contemplated in as many international conservation funds as possible.

I plan to create an organization that encourages and supports conservation start-ups and public-private partnerships in Brazil. Working alongside a strong network of researchers and technicians engaged in creating study groups and commissions, I plan to approach governmental agencies, universities, NGOs and private corporations.

By incentivising the development of wildlife and research centres, as well as the creation of new protected areas, I intend to help endangered species to recover and to reduce extinction rates.

My aim is to provide science-based policies at an international level, fulfilling my long-term goal of being to carry out applied research for the development of innovative strategies in wildlife conservation worldwide.

The UK government has been helping developing countries to prevent the loss of biodiversity through the International Climate Fund in support of REDD+. Through the UK Science and Innovation Network, I plan to increase dialogue between Brazil and the UK in order to improve research funding mechanisms such as the Newton Fund and the Darwin Initiative, and also to create new schemes. Ultimately, my final goal is to strengthen their ongoing bilateral cooperation agreed at the international climate change conference in Cancun and at the conference on biodiversity in Nagoya in 2010.

After implementing effective environmental policies in Brazil, I plan to apply my knowledge and experience to the conservation of other biodiversity hotspots, such as the Caribbean Islands, the Tropical Andes and the Mediterranean Basin.

That's it... 498 words