Scholarship / Networking has given me an opportunity to build both my personal growth and career path. [NEW]

2. Chevening is looking for individuals with strong networking skills, who will engage with the Chevening ...

Networking has given me an opportunity to build both my personal growth and career path. Let me start with my mobile business. I started my mobile business in March 2015, whereby I buy nice clothes and colognes from South Africa and Zambia and then sell them locally to help myself with money for accommodation and transport. At first my business was known only by my family, close friends and colleagues but the art of networking put my small business in the map.

One of the most important skills I learned doing my business and still serves me well today is the art of networking. Through networking by just attending events, chatting on WhatsApp etc. my business is known all over Botswana. I post my products on Facebook and WhatsApp and the recognition is overwhelming. As an entrepreneur and small business owner, referrals have really picked up my business and I make up to 80-90% during a good business period. I maintain regular and consistent contact with the people in my database. We chat through WhatsApp or just normal texting.

Meeting with people in my network face to face is one of my most networking tactics so far. I hardly turn down an invitation even if it's just for an afternoon tea.

I attend a lot of social events, from birthday parties to bridal and baby showers or weddings just to name a few. One of the big highlight of networking arouse sometimes in 2007.I didn't know about the university I attended during my undergraduate studies but networking got me there. I met a friend to my friend at a birthday party sometimes September 2007 in Gaborone and she told me about this big career fair which will be hosting even universities from SADC countries the following week.

I crap the opportunity with both hands and attended the fair. There I learned more than I had expected. I even submitted my applications to few universities there including Tshwane University of Technology, my former school. It is at that event when my environmental science career started. Should I have not been invited or not known my friend's friend I wouldn't have known about the fair and probably wouldn't have enrolled with Tshwane University of Technology. This experience showed me the greatness of networking.

I make every opportunity I get to interact because the more people I know the better chance of more learning and understanding things in a different perspective.

Through effective networking collaborating with key players in my areas of expertise, combining different ideas for a good purpose had made things very achievable for me in the past. I know places that I never thought I will visit, people that I never thought I will meet in life like my former lectures and have achieved things that I never imagined I will have.

Just being a chevening scholar I will be a role model and motivation to my fellow Batswana to make a difference. I intend to join Botswana Chevening Alumni Association and participate fully to strengthen relationships among the United Kingdom, alumni and scholars.

Scholarship / Each of us have various personalities which had either made us climb ladders or crawl as leaders [NEW]

Chevening is looking for individuals that will be future leaders or influencers ...

Individually we have various personalities which had either made us climb ladders or crawl as leaders. My journey to leadership was discovered while I was only 13 years by my class teacher at junior school when she selected me to be a prefect. I was assigned to supervise a class of 30 to 35 pupils who were a year ahead of me during the afternoons and Saturdays studies. It was a great challenge to be given authority over my elders at that young age.

I engaged all the good personalities my grandmother taught me in the assignment of leading my seniors. Back then I will cry not feeling like going to school due to shaming from other pupils because of the way I speak. She told me I should be determined, be confident, encouraged me to trust myself, work hard and pass hence putting shame to them instead and making her proud. Her words ringed in my ears and I lead with confidence. Whenever I didn't like something I told them and they were doing the same with me. I was awarded the prize as the 'best prefect of the year' during that years' prize giving. I was also chosen as the 'head girl' of the school the following year. My grandma shaped me into a great leader despite the phrase "leaders are born not made".

It's worth mentioning that just after two months upon arriving at Department of mines as an environment officer intern; my supervisor gave me the task of leading the team responsible for the Zutshwa salt project resuscitation. This was an opportunity to show my competence and leadership skills hence winning the boss trust.

I organized my team well which was compressed of 3 other interns. We shared ideas and responsibilities and I made sure that the work is done. Through the great team spirit under my leadership, we managed to make the dream of the Zutshwa people a reality within just 7 months of the kick-start of the project. It is the most productive poverty eradication project now with great turn over. This amazing job resulted in the unanimous decision by both my supervisor and director to pay for my environment compliance training course and I was also given more responsibilities in other projects facilitated or coordinated by our department.

Just recently I participated in the Minamata Convention on Mercury where a Minamata Initial Assessment Project has to be undertaken to assess the country situation with regards to mercury. I was chosen as one of the group leaders leading groups which were assigned to collect data for the inventory. Through my leadership data was collected in only 3 weeks than 2 months which was scheduled for data collection. Other group leaders are now asking for tips of how I control people from various departments and areas of expertise. We are now waiting for other groups to complete data collection and complete the inventory.

With the above experiences I shared I believe I can be a great influential leader chevening is looking for.