Scholarship / Leadership and purpose became synonymous with instigating revolutions - NSF memberhip [5]

Chevening Leadership Question

Please read my answer to the Leadership Question in Chevening app. Comments and suggestions are welcome. Holt, I especially look forward to your feedback. Thanks.

My father is a Communist, who nurtured a strong drive for initiative in my personality. Growing up politically exposed to the ideas of socialism and communism, I went to university to study International Relations. Leadership and purpose became synonymous with instigating revolutions and I became a full-time member of a left-wing students' political organization, the National Students Federation (NSF).

Participating in the NSF was educative, leading me to recognize that I was a Communist because the fair organization of politics and society mattered to me, and I had not known other ways-for instance, democratization and equitable social development-to achieve it. It took a lot of genuine introspection to accept that working for social development was more of my thing than propelling revolutions. After all, I was an individual who ran a small home-based tuition centre for her maid's children, wanting them to experience learning also. I was someone who conducted free-of-cost exam preparation classes in university for class fellows working to support their families. In my free time, I would be mostly designing easy-to-comprehend curricula for out-of-school children who had never read an alphabet, or writing against illegal hike in school fees. My idea of social development was rooted in education. Illiteracy was a problem and I wanted to do something about it.

This realization gave a fairly concrete shape to my engagement in educational initiatives. I joined The Citizens Foundation, a non-profit educational organization, and have been associated with their Alumni Development Programme (ADP) for two years now, helping under-privileged students to prepare their applications for international universities and undergraduate exchanges. This year, I helped ten students with their application essays for the USEFP U-Grad Exchange Program, two of whom got selected. Furthermore, I contribute a portion of my monthly salary towards the Teacher's Fund for a government girls' school in Mehrabpur, Sindh. I am also part of Facebook groups that mobilize financial assistance for poor families and single or widowed women. Recently, with the help of a friend, I raised money for a child's surgery.

The choice to work at Oxford University Press (OUP) also reflects my belief in 'development through literacy'. Working at OUP gives me a strong sense of purpose, as I actively develop books, and voice my concerns if the content is regressive. Within the organization, I am a vocal proponent for low-priced, high-quality textbooks, designed in ways that they shed gender and racial stereotypes. I work with academics to develop student-friendly, factually accurate, and low-priced resources to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge. Presently, I am working to develop core textbooks on International Relations and Gender Studies for Pakistani university students.

The belief in 'development through literacy' has made me take these initiatives. My intellectual drive combined with a capacity to take action has made me an influencer in my social and family circle. I want to continue my activities on a broader, more popular base, and perceive an engagement with the Chevening community as pivotal to this end.

Scholarship / Cried, but did it anyway! I have achieved new milestones in my job. [4]

This is my

Chevening leadership essay

. Please read and give comments below. Thanks.

My employment at Oxford University Press (OUP) tops the list of the best developments in my life. I work in academic and higher education publishing and feel resourceful as I achieve new milestones in my job. After all, I'm an Editor for the prestigious OUP!

Right after my graduation, I joined OUP in April 2016. I figured very soon that my work entailed more than just editing and proofing manuscripts. I was a Project Manager too. Handling book projects from inception to publication, to ensuring that they reached the market and sold well, I was responsible for more than what I had expected. A month into the job, I was called for a meeting with my Manager and Director and asked to join the Higher Education Unit of the Press. Without a team or SOPs in place, I was asked to revive the department. With much trepidation, I decided to take on the new task thinking that if successfully executed, it would give me positive influence within the organization.

The first step towards reviving the department was to make the Management realize that a team was required for different portfolios. I researched extensively about the Higher Education Units of leading academic publishers and proposed three new positions of HE Manager, Commissioning Editors, and Desk Editors for the department. I personally wanted to be a Commissioning Editor, so I got my JD broadened to include some commissioning work, while simultaneously working as a desk editor, and fulfilling the responsibilities of a Manager as well.

For five difficult months, I worked alone in the HE Unit, utilizing this time and the freedom for experimentation for developing SOPs and clearing the backlog of my department. I placated angry authors, created guidelines for textbook proposals, chalked out a basic publishing plan for 2017, and ventured in the market to explore opportunities for higher education publishing. During this time, I regularly met academics at universities in Karachi and persuaded them to write new textbooks for us. I wanted to promote locally developed textbooks because I felt that foreign-published books were costly and did not adequately cater to our socio-cultural and political specificities. I felt a gap in the knowledge market as students would grasp ideas and concepts but couldn't apply them to their local issues, because their understanding was rooted in foreign examples and case studies. And because these books were costly enough, most students didn't have any inclination to buy them. I wanted to change these aspects of textbook development.

With some months of rigorous work and tireless networking, I successfully commissioned a textbook project to two Pakistani academics. This book, set to publish in 2018, will for the first time cover International Relations for undergrad students from local perspectives. I have also commissioned a Gender Studies textbook project to a Pakistani academic. The idea to study both IR and Gender Studies from local perspectives and examples makes me excited and proud of the work I do. I also solicited new manuscripts from 4 authors, and got 3 running titles revised for new editions. A department having no book projects in 2016 boasts 7 new HE publications in 2017, all written by Pakistani authors.

My active engagement at work has also made the management more receptive to my suggestions, which in turn increases my sense of purpose and sway within the Editorial team. I was sent twice to Malaysia from May-August 2017 for a publishing summit and our Annual Sales Conference. This exposure has immensely added to my skill set and knowledge about the publishing business. A firm believer in knowledge-for-all and development through literacy, I am a vocal proponent within my organization for low-priced, high-quality textbooks, designed in ways that they shed gender and racial stereotypes. I actively voice my concerns if content in our books is toned down for being 'too progressive', having opened multiple forums for discussion among senior editors to revisit our censorship policy.

In my 17-months association with OUP's HE Unit, two new desk editors, in addition to the Manager, have been hired. I am finally going to be in a position where I always wanted to be i.e. Commissioning Editor, better prepared to explore the challenges and opportunities of a new portfolio.

Scholarship / How my network expanded in just 17 months! Chevening Networking Essay [3]

Please read and provide feedback. Thanks.

I build people-to-people contacts

Before joining Oxford University Press (OUP), I knew few people in organizations where I had been an intern. OUP has changed this status quo forever, for my own good. I am in a position where I am connected with academia, media, and the intelligentsia, not just nationally but internationally as well. Regularly meeting academics in Pakistan and getting them to write new textbooks for OUP is what I do. I am responsible to promote locally developed textbooks. It's an organizational objective to encourage local academics and give them chances to further their growth using OUP's platform. I strive to achieve that goal for my organization by building new connections and maintaining the ones already made.

I also collaborate with organizations to advance mutual objectives. At OUP, I have worked in direct and regular collaboration with Aga Khan University on two book projects, and with Sustainable Development Policy Institute on one project. I have made contacts at Karachi University, Habib University, Institute of Business Management, and Institute of Business Administration, and ensured that we received textbook proposals to bring business back to our Higher Education Unit. My organization also made inroads in Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad, when I utilized my contact with a professor of mine teaching there. With that reference, we received two new manuscripts from professors of Quaid-e-Azam University.

I build people-to-people contacts by identifying mutual ground and the potential of the relationship to benefit both the parties. I was sent twice to Malaysia from May-August 2017 for a publishing summit and our Annual Sales Conference. After coming back, I established contact with OUP's Editorial team in Malaysia. Through knowledge-sharing with the Malaysian team, I improved my department's SOPs and constructed a 'Vertical-Horizontal Plan' of textbook organization-something I didn't know existed.

I am a firm believer in knowledge-for-all and development through literacy. Working for educational development is part of my personal set of values, which keeps me connected with The Citizens Foundation, where I worked three years ago as an intern. Now, I am supporting their Alumni Development Programme (ADP) since two years, helping under-privileged students to prepare their applications for international universities and undergraduate exchanges. This year, I helped ten students with their application essays for the USEFP U-Grad Exchange Program, two of whom got selected. As a result, TCF looks up to me for recruitment in certain positions where they feel I'd be most resourceful. I am currently working to develop a pool of freelance writers for TCF, who will produce content for their official blog. It is a paid assignment and I am getting fresh graduates from my university and social circle lined up for this. Sometimes, I also arrange for TCF events to be covered in the media.

My intellectual drive combined with a capacity to take action has connected me with the right people, and made me an influencer in my social and professional circles. I look forward to enhancing the Chevening experience for other scholars by making pathways for them by utilizing my connections in Pakistani publishing business, academia, and media.

Scholarship / MSC in Development Studies in Cambridge and London [2]

Chevening Courses Essay

Please see my Chevening Courses essay and provide feedback. Thanks.

I have chosen courses in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London.

I've completed my undergraduate degree in International Relations, with European History and Sociology as minors. Studying IR has given me a solid understanding of the political, social, economic, and development issues of our century. Owing to my academic inclination towards human development, I want to explore the various dimensions of development policy and processes by studying Development Studies.

In this regard, my first choice is the MPhil programme in Development Studies at Cambridge University. The Core Papers in this programme straddle across the fields of development economics, sociology, globalization and politics of development, and the role of cities and institutions in development. The organization of Core Papers across diverse fields piques my interest. Moreover, The Centre of Development Studies of Cambridge University ranked fourth in the QS Survey, 2017, which speaks of its high academic standard.

Of the Optional Papers, Education and Human Development, Justice and Development, and Gender and Development are interesting. I am committed to the causes of women empowerment, democratization, and educational development and strongly think that a literate populace is a prerequisite for the success of democratization efforts in Pakistan. Once we ensure educational development, women empowerment and the consolidation of democracy will come by. Through these optional papers, I will be able to organize my thoughts around these issues in a far better and coherent manner. I feel it is important for me to consolidate my awareness of multi-disciplinary perspectives around these issues because I will build my career in Pakistan's federal bureaucracy.

My second preference is the MSc programme in Development Studies at LSE. The core course of Development: History, Theory, and Policy will help me understand the economic, political, social, and gender dimensions of development. I studied a course called Social Change and Development in university covering similar issues, and would like to further build on the skills previously acquired. Some optional courses like International Relations, Law, and International Development are very aligned to the courses I studied during my undergrad. Of particular interest at LSE is the course of Anthropology, which I would definitely take up to explore the gap between development planning and outcomes.

My third preference is the MSc programme in Development Studies at SOAS. SOAS is renowned as an academic voice for the global South. Its reputation as an 'institution of activists' makes it a very lively place to study and connect with action-oriented individuals. The uber-progressive campus environment, with strong leftist-progressive leanings will give me Marxist insights on 'capitalistic' development.

Coming from a traditional society, where archaic gender notions prevail, economic prosperity is a distant dream, and poor infrastructure a painful reality, I think underdevelopment will be tackled by future leaders who've a firm grounding in the subject. For this particular reason, I wish to complete my postgraduate education in Development Studies first and then join bureaucracy.

Scholarship / I need Postgraduate education to do these great things in my career. Career Plan Essay [2]

Chevening - defining moment in my career

My career objective is to serve in the Pakistan Administrative Services and perform executive, judicial, and administrative functions for the Government of Pakistan. By entering the federal bureaucracy, I intend to propose reforms in the government's administrative system to make it more relevant to the masses. The expertise gained through my education in the UK will definitely aid me in doing so, much more differently, and possibly better, than others.

At present, the bureaucracy suffers from a lack of initiative to address the fault-lines in society and local sentiment on issues. This can be tackled by engaging local and non-governmental stakeholders. Since there is also a serious lack of initiatives regarding data collection on social issues and public opinion, I intend to suggest an initiative similar to the European Social Survey so the policymaking process becomes more people centred and sustainable.

In the event that I am selected for a Chevening scholarship, I will complete my postgraduate studies in the fall of 2019 and start preparing for my CSS exams, which one has to take in order to enter the federal bureaucracy of Pakistan. The next exam after my return will be conducted in February 2020 so I will have 3-4 months to finalize my preparation.

From March-May 2020, I will engage with Innovate, Educate, Inspire (IEI) Pakistan. IEI Pakistan fosters community development through education. The organization mainly works in the Gilgit-Baltistan region in Pakistan. The guiding principle for IEI Pakistan is civic engagement and responsibility. The organization recruits volunteers, who contribute to the local community development in Gilgit-Baltistan by teaching school students at a nominal stipend for a maximum of three months. After returning and taking my CSS exam, I will dedicate the first three months to this initiative before resuming my job at Oxford University Press Pakistan (OUPP) in June 2020. OUPP encourages its young editors to pursue higher education and asks them to rejoin once their studies finish.

Once the CSS results are out, the interview process and recruitment into the administrative groups will stretch until March 2021. I will finally begin my specialized training for bureaucracy in August 2021.

Since recruitment into the bureaucracy is an 18-month long process after one has taken the CSS exam, I will also dedicate some of my time towards managing the administration at a government girls' school in Mehrabpur, Sindh, adopted by a friend of mine. I plan to travel to Mehrabpur over the weekends and oversee administrative affairs of the school.

The Chevening experience will be a defining moment in my career, and I look forward to engaging with academics and students from a diverse set of countries. This exposure will enable me to undertake an appraisal of governance systems across several countries both academically and through first-person, people-to-people contacts. I strongly believe that my study experience in the UK and connections within the Chevening community will hugely assist me in mobilizing specialized assistance towards policy implementation in Pakistan.