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Chevening Essay on Leadership and Influencing Skills

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)

Making positive impact wherever I find myself has always been my target. I have proven my leadership skills both as team leader and a team player because I believe that leadership isn't all about taking the lead/front role at every activity rather a quality which makes one stand-out among others.

In 2014, as a team player, I was able to prove my problem-solving and decision-making skills while working on a particular term-paper with a group of students. This term paper was one of the requirements for graduations towards the course of my study. While meeting, the group leader wanted suggestions on how to go about the research topic. Everyone started giving their own opinions on the subject matter and I also contributed to it. Although, mine was frowned-at and rejected by most of the group members including the group leader at first but after various failed attempts at other suggestions, mine was later considered and accepted. I eventually played the lead role and made all group members to work together in a coordinated manner. We eventually had one of the best term-paper for that session after assessment.

Also, in early 2019, I exhibited my creative thinking and innovative skills to tackle a particular problem in my community. I made an in-depth research on the reasons for students' low performance in a particular examination in Nigeria. The examination, Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) is a preparatory examination used for gaining admission into higher institutions (Universities, Polytechnics, Monotechnics, Colleges of Education e.t.c) in Nigeria. In the course of my research, I discovered that the major problem affecting the students' performance in the examination is widely due to the use of computers in writing the examination. So, in order to help tackle the problem, I initiated a free-training programme on writing Computer Based Test for students within my locality. I also created a Google form to help in the registrations of interested candidates which was forwarded across various social groups via Whatsapp. The training was attended by over seventy (70) candidates and lasted for a week, an additional week was also given to students who wish to practice on their own after the normal training week.

As a leader who is passionate about quality education. I engage in voluntary teaching jobs where I teach students mathematical-related subjects. I also encourage my students to believe in their ability rather than relying on examination malpractices. Apart from teaching my students personally, I tend to open their eyes to know how to use the internet as a powerful tool to enhance and help them in their studies.

With this scholarship, I will be better equipped as a leader who has passion for quality education and demoralizing examination malpracrices which is a major cankerworm eating up my community presently by creating opportunities to meet the educational challenges of students.