Posts by Lauretta

Lauretta

Oct 8, 2017

Scholarship / I find networking very easy and enjoyable - Chevening writing [5]

Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills

networking is crucial for professional growth

Most people find networking difficult but I find it very easy and enjoyable. Over the years, I have had several opportunities to showcase my networking skills. At age 18, my mother passed away and I got a part-time job as a brand promoter for a bottling company. The task involved advertising and marketing the brand to prospective consumers. We shuttled several locations persuading people to try out the new brand. Therefore, I had the chance to interact with people from different backgrounds, cultures and businesses. This experience improved my ability to communicate and listen actively. This was the first opportunity I had to showcase my networking skills and as a result of the network I acquired, upon graduation from the university, I got my first job in Multichoice Nigeria, the country's leading TV service provider.

In my current job, I am in charge of social activities where I organize team building events quarterly and end of the year activities. The aim of these activities is to increase optimism and also encourage teams to work together effectively thus increasing productivity. I am responsible for planning a budget, seeking a venue, creating new themes for each event, setting up activities, managing and coordinating teams at the event. This role has given me the opportunity to meet and interact with all staff and various departmental heads of the bank. At the end of the year party last year, I had the privilege to speak with the chairman of the bank, we realized that we attended the same secondary school and I pitched an idea of a mentorship program for young alumni. My idea is currently being implemented by the board members of the alumni association of my Alma Mata. I have also created a personal network of vendors, suppliers and tour guides, with this I receive discounts which reduces the cost and capital spent by the bank on each event.

I believe networking is important for professional growth, as a Chevening awardee, I would experience diversity, combine new cultures, expand my horizon and also have the opportunity to exchange perspectives with unique individuals from around the world thus preparing me for my future goals.

Lauretta

Oct 8, 2017

Scholarship / I find networking very easy and enjoyable - Chevening writing [5]

@knowledgeSeeker thank you for taking time to review my essay.

@ Holt I appreciate the feedback. I will do as you have stated and rewrite a convincing essay

Lauretta

Oct 8, 2017

Writing Feedback / Moving abroad - challenge in your life that helps to overcome weaknesses and broaden horizon [3]

carrier

First paragraph, the word should be "CAREER" as used in the context not "CARRIER".

Your essay has good content but contains a lot of grammatical and sentence construction errors.

Lauretta

Oct 8, 2017

Undergraduate / The quiet time. What is important to you and why essay [5]

@Chichi9

Religion is a really sensitive topic. The reviewer could even be of a different religion. I suggest you select a different topic, something general that everyone can relate with.

Good luck

Lauretta

Oct 8, 2017

Scholarship / Chevening post-study career plan. Immediate and long term plans upon returning home [4]

career objectives

My immediate plan upon my return to Nigeria is to continue with the non-profit organization, Life Support Intiative, which i am currently a part of. We recently kicked off a campaign called Education is the new cool. This initiative is to support the less privileged children who possess good character and outstanding academic achievement that have dropped out of school due to financial constraints. These children are nominated by individuals who have identified their zeal and willingness to learn. We currently have the capacity to support fifteen children based on the network we have created. These children will be supported from primary to secondary school. They will be provided with School Uniforms, bags, shoes, books and all fees will be paid by the Life Support Initiative. With the influence and vast network I hope to attain as a Chevening awardee, I plan to expand this initiative whereby we could accommodate hundreds of children and even support these children through University level.

My long term career objective is to be a leading research analyst with excellent business insight capable of driving performance improvements. I plan to focus my research vocation on helping rural/neglected communities help themselves by reviving community banking. In addition to my Master's degree in Management, I plan to become a CFA charterholder to improve my marketability.

For the mandatory one year National Youth Service Program organized by the Nigerian government, I was posted to the rural part of western Nigeria where I stayed in a community that comprised of people struggling to realize their good ideas, so that they can create a better life for themselves, their families, and their community. This experience made me realize that poor people are not helpless, instead of charity or empowerment, we can provide funds to fuel their initiatives. By renewing the idea of community banking, communities will be able to self-generate financial control which will enable them to easily access financial and developmental services for the good of the community.

In the long run, I seek to join the World Bank. The World Bank has executed several projects in SME development, it also has a major focus on the eradication of poverty. My goal is to lead an energetic team focused on community banking, harnessing the resources of rural communities in Nigeria and transforming it into revenue for the community to help itself. A career at the World Bank requires professional achievement, leadership capability and international exposure. I believe the chevening programme will enable me meet these requirements thus producing an agent for change in Africa and Nigeria in particular.

Lauretta

Oct 15, 2017

Undergraduate / This is University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign application essay. [3]

@Abhishek123

The beginning of your essay definitely caught my attention. However, i got confused at some point. The third line states "igniting my passion to become a surgeon" then the third to the last line states "to help prevent my father's condition from happening to another person anywhere in the world has inspired me to strive for proficiency in Biochemistry"

Do you want to study Medicine or Biochemistry?

Would the courses you take as a Biochemistry major prepare you for your future aspiration to become a surgeon?

You also have to break the essay into paragraphs.

Lauretta

Oct 15, 2017

Writing Feedback / There are many reasons why people should choose a specified job [4]

@AAriel

I really don't think the 2nd paragraph is necessary. You also need to come up with stronger points to support the notion, paragraph 3 is unclear and not strong enough

Lauretta

Oct 15, 2017

Scholarship / The chevening program will shape me to be a better leader [2]

Chevening is looking for individuals who will be future leaders or influencers

the opportunity to enhance my skills

My mother always emphasized the importance of education of the female population and how teachers should equally assign female students to leadership positions. I grew up with this mentality and I took up leadership roles as early as age 6 in primary School where I was class governor.

Upon graduation from the University, I got a job as a Customer Service Officer in a leading bank. In 2014, a customer satisfaction survey was conducted and the result showed that the major dissatisfaction drive was the inability of customers to contact the bank to have their complaints, enquiries and requests resolved. Therefore, the need to reach out to customers via other channels was identified. I came up with the Live Chat and Social Media support options, submitted the proposal to my boss who presented it to Management. My initiative was implemented and i was assigned the task to create a team for this. I selected a few consultants who were social media savvy by performing mock chats to determine readiness to move to customer support, designed chat scripts, Analysed and reported social media actions on a weekly basis.

By January 2015, another survey was conducted, there was a 51% increase in customer satisfaction compared to the previous year . I was promoted and I currently lead the Social Media team which consists of ten consultants. This role was assigned to me based on my expertise, ability to motivate people as well as my sense of ownership and responsibility. I conduct targeted group coaching sessions and ensure the consultants meet pre-established performance standards. The social customer support team is currently ranked as one of the best in all Nigerian banks based on response time, quality interactions and first contact resolution.

Earlier this year, I became a member of a Non-Profit organization called the xxx with the aim of providing the less privileged Children with the basics of Livelihood. The last project which took place in July focused on deworming children in a rural town in Oyo state. My job function involved soliciting sponsorship and funding for the project. However, the execution of this project required medical professionals to administer the drugs. Based on my ability to influence others, I was able to persuade some medical doctors at the University Teaching Hospital, Ibadan and we had 10 medical doctors and pharmacists who volunteered to assist with the project. The program was a success as we dewormed over 300 children.

The chevening program will give me the opportunity to enhance my leadership skills and also collaborate with other influencers from different parts of the world thus shapening me to achieve my future goals.

Lauretta

Oct 22, 2017

Scholarship / Chevening post-study career plan. Immediate and long term plans upon returning home [4]

Hello @Holt thank you for the feedback. I have revised my essay. Please take a look at it. Thank you.

According to the 2016 annual reports, the DFID has supported more than 450,000 children through primary and lower secondary education directly and by funding of various organizations. Nevertheless, there are still about 10.5 million Nigerian children out of school. My immediate plan upon my return to Nigeria is to continue with the non-profit organization which recently kicked off a campaign called Education is the new cool. This initiative is to support the less privileged children with good character who have dropped out of school due to financial constraints. I plan to use my influence as a chevening scholar to expand this campaign by working with the DFID and collaborating with other Non-profit organizations to tackle the issue of education in Nigeria thus helping the country meet one of its millennium development goals.

Within the next two years, I plan to join the World Bank. The World Bank has executed several projects in SME development, it also has a major focus on the eradication of poverty. My goal is to lead an energetic team focused on community banking, harnessing the resources of rural communities in Nigeria and transforming it into revenue for the community to help itself. The experience and skills gained for the World Bank would be the stepping stone to the achievement of my long term career goal which is to be the CEO of an Agricultural community bank with a vision to promote agriculture and trade in Nigeria.

According to the UN report, by the year 2050, Nigeria is estimated to be the third most populous country in the world with the population of about 300 million people. This drastic increase in population will bring about challenges of food security and also economic growth. If Nigeria remains a net-importer of food, there is bound to be an increase in food prices leading to a high rate of hunger and malnutrition and also a decrease in the GDP of the country.

The mission of my bank will be to provide credit with no collateral to local farmers thus doubling agricultural productivity to support the rising population. Studies have also shown that most investment opportunities go to big agro-industries, neglecting the small farmers. With the support of the Department for International trade, i will be able to give these local farmers opportunities to have their agricultural products exported thus aiding foreign direct investment. This will have a positive effect on the local economic and social development and also strengthen the bond between UK and Nigeria. One of my CSR projects would be to sensitize these small scale farmers on the importance of savings and investments as part of the income generated from the exportation of their produce should be re-invested in agriculture.

Such career plan requires professional achievement, leadership capability and international exposure. The Chevening scholarship will enable me meet these requirements and also give me the opportunity to acquire the right influence and network needed to achieve my dreams.