Scholarship / 'As a student I built and maintain strong network' -- Networking Skills, Chevening. [11]

Hi everyone, could you please help with editing my essay?

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

As a student I built and maintain strong network with students, teaching stuff as well as with participants of different events and the sport club I was attending. It was my networking skill that helped me to change and improve my career prospective and got me in to my current profession that I am passionate about.

During my studentship at --- State University, where I studied Linguistics, I was working as a translator for foreign ICT Specialist, invited to our university to install donated PC by Canadian government, I got involved in setting up the computer lab. Noticing my increasing interest in IT and rapid ability to learn, he recommended to learn ICT as a profession and left several IT books before leaving. After studying the literature, few months later I started teaching computer classes at the same lab. I kept in touch with the specialist and often was getting recommendations improving my skills.

Being now confident with my skills, I applied for an IT position with international organisation, indicating the IT specialist as a reference. I have got the job being advised that along with my technical skills I have received excellent recommendation that was decisive in my hiring.

Understanding that networking cannot only be used for own gain but to exchange knowledge, experience, referrals , support and encouragement I am sharing relevant information with people who might benefit from it and always getting back to ones that contact me for any advice or flavor. Having that in mind I was happy to assist one of my previous colleagues when he asked to help with the technical part of setting up a conference for his private business.

It was that understanding as well when I helped one of my classmate to improve his technical skills by providing training and mentoring after he contacted me for support. Later I connected him with my contacts at University of -----, where he works now as a System Administrator.

Becoming Chevening Scholar, along with the degree and knowledge will give me an opportunity to meet students from different countries and cultures with similar ambitions where I could build an alumni network with likeminded professionals from different areas of expertise. This would be an opportunity to learn from my course mates and share my own experience with future Chevening awardees by actively participating in Scholars conferences and online discussions. I believe that utilizing the network will also benefit me further advancing my career in becoming a valuable expert in area of ----- in my country as well as other scholars....

Scholarship / 'I developed strong interest' - I chose three universities that have courses which match my interest [12]

Hi all, I have decided to post a paragraph a time and then developing the rest after it is final, finding it a best way for to write the essay.

Outline why you have selected your chosen three university courses, and explain how this relates to your previous academic or professional experience and your plans for the future.

I drafted a full essay and will appreciate you comments and suggestions.

Although graduating as a Linguist, I developed strong interest in Information and Communication Technology during my first year of the study at university. I started focusing on ICT, by undertaking additional classes as I understood the importance of technology in improving socio-economic and environmental aspects of life. Using the limited resources available in the remote mountainous region I lived at the time, I gained sufficient knowledge in IT, which enabled me to start teaching ICT in my second year at the University as a volunteer. After graduation I chose ICT as my profession joining organisation which goal is to provide better access to education and healthcare, development of agricultural and energy sectors. Working with western expat in Sustainable Development with focus on ICT for over 14 years, I gained valuable knowledge and developed an interest and understanding the importance of making accessible a sustainable living to the community mostly cut from the rest of the world and a country as whole. Realising that being successful in this field I need to be equipped with advanced knowledge in the chosen area I decided to undertake graduate study in ICTs for Development. I chose three universities that have courses that much my interest most perfectly.

1. Royal Holloway University of London. Practising Sustainable Development (Information and Communication Technologies for Development) MSc
Being one of the very few courses in ICT for sustainable development offered in UK, the course combines an understanding of key theories and how technologies can be applied in diverse sectors such as health and education. It will give me knowledge at an advanced level of the relationships between ICT and social, economic, political and environmental aspects of sustainable development. Additionally the Community Volunteer Project offers an independent volunteer project which will give me practical experience in gaining sustainability related work experience in a non-for profit organisation that will also enhance my employability.

2. The University of Manchester. MSc ICTs for Development
My second chose fell on this course because the interdisciplinary approach makes the course very attractive to me. The approach gives options to choose from range of courses, such as ICT's & Socio-Economic Development, Planning and Managing Development and Research Skills Development that meet my personal and professional interests and will give me ability to analyse the role of national policy in promoting effective developmental use of ICT, project planning and management methods and how to select and use them in development contexts.

3. University of Sussed. Sustainable Development (formerly titled Innovation for Sustainable International Development)
Focusing on UN's Sustainable Development Goals Strategies to address these challenges that are needed for developing countries to tackle such issues as social inequality, limited access to education and health sector, offering use of technological innovation into effective development policies achieve real sustainable development. The multidisciplinary and international orientation makes it attractive to me in addition to the core modules such as Governing and Using Technology for Development Policy Making and Policy Analysis taught by leading experts will allow me pursue my goal of contributing to the development of my country.

Scholarship / One of my goals -- Post study career plan. Chevening [4]

This i my last essay and this is the last day for me to submit it.
I would really appreciate you help in editing it. I am not particularly happy with the last part but my brain is not working any more ):

Chevening is looking for individuals who have a clear post-study career plan. Please outline your immediate plans upon returning home and your longer term career goals. You may wish to consider how these relate to what the UK government is doing in your country. (minimum word count: 50 words, maximum word count: 500 words)

Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries in Central Asia region with rural population measured at 74%. According to the UK Department for International Development, the education and health systems are deteriorating in Tajikistan and will not likely achieve the Sustainable Development Goal set by the UN. Committed to the SDG, the DFID investing almost £30,000,000 in various sectors promoting economic, rural development, better access to education and health sectors.

One of my goals upon returning home is to take part in promoting the SDG and contribute to making healthcare, education and environmental information more accessible in the rural areas through use of ICT where those services had largely been unavailable. The knowledge and practice gained from the course will allow me generate the necessary skills to engage in making of policies and institutional frameworks to foster productive and inclusive use of ICT to address the issues mentioned above.

As part of my immediate plans, I am planning achieve that by setting up a NGO through which we will develop projects in collaboration with government to make education more accessible via use of technology, like a mobile education centre that will travel to remote regions of the country giving access to the knowledgebase for students and teachers. Healthcare system also can benefit from such centres by allowing health professionals have remote consultations, and increase health education in the rural areas. Environmental information can be provided to people living in regions with high risk of natural disasters by installing advanced warning system and setting chain of radio communication between villages.

My company will also be providing consultancy work for other non-for profit organisations such as AKDN and UN that are focusing in sustainable development, where I believe my skills will be demanded due to lack of specialist in that area with focus on ICT.

My long term goal after practical exposure to all aspects of the subject is to apply to PhD in Sustainable Development that will be invaluable for achieving my goals to be among decision makers who are able to contribute to social-economic development and environmental sustainability.