Scholarship / Leadership is crucial to success, and it's not about position. Chevening "leadership" essay [3]

Kindly provide some feedback on my Leadership essay. Thanks!

Chevening

Scholarship - Leadership and Influence Essay

Leadership is crucial to success. Either self-leadership in the case of an individual, corporate leadership in the case of an organisation, success and positive outcomes are largely influenced by right leadership. However, leadership is not about position. As John Quincy Adams rightly said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader".

I have always approached things from a leadership point of view, with a concerted effort for self-improvement and excellence. I believe developing capacity in leading yourself is the necessary foundation for leading others. However, this capacity must be consciously developed, through personal development and subjecting yourself to the guidance of leaders who have gone before you.

I have been privileged to serve in a number of leadership capacities. During my undergraduate days, I served two tenures (two academic sessions), first as the Assistant General Secretary and then the Assistant Head of one of my University service groups, carrying out my responsibilities to the best of my ability with success stories to match.

While undergoing my mandatory year of service to my country, Nigeria, I was appointed the leader of my Community Development Service (CDS) group by my peers and I served in this capacity for about six months until the end of my service year. Under my leadership, we raised funds and carried out a relief program at a general hospital in the state, during which we provided some basic amenities and edibles to patients.

As a volunteer at HOPE Foundation, an organisation that is aimed at transforming the leadership mentality of the Nigerian teenager and youth, I have also served in different capacities within the organisation; first, as the project lead for the 2016 C.I.T.Y Summer Leadership camp at one of the four locations in which the camp took place that year.

I currently serve as the coordinator of the C.I.T.Y Training arm of the organisation, where I am tasked with planning and implementing training programs in secondary schools across Nigeria. As of this time of writing, we have trained over 400 students this year with more training sessions already scheduled across the country.

Some of the hallmarks of excellent leadership include a commitment to discipline, responsibility and people improvement and I am certain I have consistently exhibited these traits in every capacity I have been privileged to serve in.

Scholarship / The size of your network is a pointer to your net worth. Networking Essay [2]

Kindly provide some feedback on my Networking essay. Thanks!

Chevening Scholarship - Networking Essay

It is generally said that the size of your network is a pointer to your net worth. This indicates that the ability to interact and engage with others cannot be substituted by an abundance of formal skill. It is also important to be considered a channel of help as this attracts people to your network.

From my undergraduate days as a student leader, I have consciously developed my network by actively participating and lending my time and insight into the planning of student activities. Directly or indirectly, a huge part of my network today is tied to this phase of my life. My business partner and a number of people I work with today are products of that network. One recent example from this network, I was having difficulty with a certain project at work and I called on a contact from school who was able to provide some significant direction for me to close out on the project.

My first major chance to network outside of an academic setting was in 2013 when I attended the 'Lasgidi' Hackathon organised by IBM where I had the opportunity of meeting some of the leaders of the business for West Africa. I am presently in touch with some of these people and they give me career and business advice.

While undergoing my mandatory year of service to my country, Nigeria, I made myself available to assist my peers in any way I could. I was nominated by the outgoing leader and subsequently appointed the leader of my Community Development Service (CDS) group by my peers. I served in this capacity for about six months until the end of my service year. Under my leadership, we raised funds and carried out a relief program at a general hospital in the state, during which we provided some basic amenities and edibles to patients.

My volunteer work has also opened me up to a different network. My engagements with HOPE Foundation contributed to my current employment. I believe my prior engagements within the organisation stood me in good stead as a senior colleague directed my attention to a job at his place of work.

As a result of my current role as the C.I.T.Y Training coordinator at HOPE, I also boast of active connections with people across the country. These various connections have allowed me to receive first-hand information such as job openings, events and engagements that are of benefit thereby enabling me to add value to others.

One of my goals when selected as a Chevening scholar, is to connect to a network of like minds, that will help birth solutions that are scalable and improve the lives of people in our various countries. I have also begun to engage previous and current Chevening scholars and alumni in my preferred schools.

Scholarship / My goal is to be a serial entrepreneur, my interests lie in information technology and agriculture [2]

Kindly provide some feedback on my post-study career plan essay. Thanks!

Chevening Scholarship - Post-study career plan essay

My career goal is to be a serial entrepreneur and my interests lie in information technology and agriculture.

The advancement in technology is birthing solutions to everyday problems around the world and agriculture is perhaps even more important as food security is crucial to the sustenance of life.

At the moment, I am actively pursuing my interest in IT. I have co-founded a company focused on this area. Upon returning to Nigeria, I will be resuming a more active role (while I am away, my role will be limited due to study constraints). Currently, we are in the process of completing a solution we believe can provide economic opportunities for artisans in Nigeria. My master's study which is primarily focused on IT and business management will enable me to transition the knowledge acquired from my study into practice and grow the business.

Within the next 5 years, I plan to start the agriculture business and I will also use my knowledge of IT to create solutions that can optimise the agricultural value chain in Nigeria, especially in logistics.

I am particularly pleased by the positive and forward-looking relations between the United Kingdom and Nigeria. Earlier in the year, the president of Nigeria visited the United Kingdom government where Theresa May, the UK Prime Minister, stressed the need for improved intra-commonwealth economic relations. More recently, she was on a 3-day visit to Africa with Nigeria being one of her destinations. One of the highlights of her visit was the inclusion of companies' executives in her entourage, with private and public representatives of the UK power, water, transportation sectors amongst others present. These are areas which are of importance to my career plan. For perspective, power has proven to be a strong inhibitor to IT entrepreneurship and business in general as Nigerian businesses struggle with the lack of adequate power supply in the country, while water, transportation and logistics are challenges faced by agriculture in the country. The Private Infrastructure Development Group, which is a conglomerate of key UK and other international agencies was also present for the visit. I believe this visit emphasised the UK's commitment to contribute to the economic growth of Nigeria.

All of these are indicators of the increased potential for business partnerships between UK and Nigeria as companies look to strengthen and enter into new markets.

In the longer term, I plan to build other businesses with a core focus on providing solutions to Nigeria's and Africa's everyday problems. While the UK's relations benefits my country as a whole, a Chevening scholarship empowers me with the knowledge and experience to be a catalyst of progress in Nigeria.

Scholarship / The necessary platform to acquire the required knowledge and experience; Chosen courses essay [3]

Kindly provide some feedback on my chosen university courses essay. Thanks!

solutions for businesses

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in technology, specifically computer-related technologies. This guided my decision to study for a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering. While undergoing my internship in my penultimate year in the university, I began to develop an interest in the interchange between technology and business. This caused me to adjust my outlook and informed my choice of profession where I consult and design technology solutions for businesses.

With this mind, I have selected three programs at top schools in the United Kingdom that I am certain will equip me with the right knowledge and skill set;

Information Technology Management and Organisational Change at {School 1} is my first choice. {School 1} is one of the leading universities in the United Kingdom. The program, in particular, is a perfect blend of information technology and business. I went through every course module to get a clear idea of what the course entails and I found it to be the ideal course for me. The program also places a strong emphasis on continuous engagements with industry experts which include Chief Technology Officers, Chief Executive Officers, consultants, etc, through seminars and workshops which I look forward to. All these ensure that it is practical intensive. These various components and the respective learnings are important particularly as I am active in a startup venture.

Information Technology with Business and Management at the {School 2} is my second choice. While the program I have selected is more technical than my other choices because it contains some software technology classes, I have the background required to fit in. However, my primary reason for picking this program is its wide array of optional modules which I find to be quite interesting particularly, the desire to view information technology through the lenses of the European and Asian business landscape. These markets are causing great disruption in the technology industry and I am excited that studying them is a part of this program.

Information Management and Business Technology at {School 3} is my third choice. With an emphasis on service management and business relationships, the Information management and business technology program offers a balance between solution design and client engagement. It also addresses leadership which is vital to business growth.


While I have stated my choices in order of preference, the quality of the schools and the respective programs leave me assured that an education at any of them will provide the necessary platform to acquire the required knowledge and experience for my entrepreneurial ambitions.