Dear Comrades,
I would like to share with you my essay regarding Leadership and Influence Capabilities for Chevening Applicants.
Your comments are highly welcome.
Thank you.
From infancy, I grew up seeing my parents passionate and dedicated about helping others. This experience has molded me into someone who's always keen on being supportive to my entourage and the wider community. I always crave for the use of my time, skills and energy to help those who are in need.
It's against this background that I won trust from my classmates and was nominated to lead them in different positions. In 2008-2010 for example, I was consecutively elected class captain at university in a class of about 45 students. In 2011 I was voted an advisor to guild president of the University Students Union. Among the achievements while serving at the position is abolishing the scheduling of exams and tests on Saturdays which affected some students because of their faith.
In 2010 I led a team of four classmates in a business plan competition for mobile applications development, organized by Kigali Institute of Science and Technology in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology through its Africa Information Technology Initiative (AITI). We emerged winners with the most outstanding innovation and a prize money worth USD 2,000.
Carrying on from the gained experience, in 2011 I participated in a global Young Innovators Competition organized by the International Telecommunication Union. During the competition, which took place in Geneva-Switzerland, participants underwent a weeklong intensive training on various skills including writing and pitching business plans, leadership and communication skills, and time management. After returning, I took a mentorship role by employing the acquired skills to empower younger fellow students, mostly ladies. Among the students I mentored, some have gone on to establish companies that are now contributing to the country's development. These include M_Ahwi and Wawili which are currently operating.
After undergraduate studies, I spearheaded an idea of setting up a platform where young people with IT ideas would meet and brainstorm on their project ideas. After a lot of efforts, an open space was provided under the name of KLab, which has become a popular space for techpreneurs in Kigali to meet and collaborate.
In 2012 I cofounded a local NGO called RIDI_Girubumenyi with a mission was empowering the community with IT and entrepreneurial skills that would help transform their lives. We worked on volunteer basis as the organization had no funds to pay salaries to members. During the year I served at RIDI as its vice-president, I provided training to 80 students in schools including Samuduha Integrated College, Kicukiro district. In Southern Province RIDI initiated E_Education project at two secondary schools to improve the quality of teaching English language and practical courses mainly Chemistry using materials recorded on CDs. Here, more than 100 students participated in the project.
Currently, I head a company of five members that specializes in development of innovative web and mobile applications. I also work as volunteer at KLAB by offering coding training to young people.
Given the opportunity, Chevening scholarship will enhance my knowledge and skills, which I will use in development of my country.
I would like to share with you my essay regarding Leadership and Influence Capabilities for Chevening Applicants.
Your comments are highly welcome.
Thank you.
I'm always keen on being supportive
From infancy, I grew up seeing my parents passionate and dedicated about helping others. This experience has molded me into someone who's always keen on being supportive to my entourage and the wider community. I always crave for the use of my time, skills and energy to help those who are in need.
It's against this background that I won trust from my classmates and was nominated to lead them in different positions. In 2008-2010 for example, I was consecutively elected class captain at university in a class of about 45 students. In 2011 I was voted an advisor to guild president of the University Students Union. Among the achievements while serving at the position is abolishing the scheduling of exams and tests on Saturdays which affected some students because of their faith.
In 2010 I led a team of four classmates in a business plan competition for mobile applications development, organized by Kigali Institute of Science and Technology in partnership with Massachusetts Institute of Technology through its Africa Information Technology Initiative (AITI). We emerged winners with the most outstanding innovation and a prize money worth USD 2,000.
Carrying on from the gained experience, in 2011 I participated in a global Young Innovators Competition organized by the International Telecommunication Union. During the competition, which took place in Geneva-Switzerland, participants underwent a weeklong intensive training on various skills including writing and pitching business plans, leadership and communication skills, and time management. After returning, I took a mentorship role by employing the acquired skills to empower younger fellow students, mostly ladies. Among the students I mentored, some have gone on to establish companies that are now contributing to the country's development. These include M_Ahwi and Wawili which are currently operating.
After undergraduate studies, I spearheaded an idea of setting up a platform where young people with IT ideas would meet and brainstorm on their project ideas. After a lot of efforts, an open space was provided under the name of KLab, which has become a popular space for techpreneurs in Kigali to meet and collaborate.
In 2012 I cofounded a local NGO called RIDI_Girubumenyi with a mission was empowering the community with IT and entrepreneurial skills that would help transform their lives. We worked on volunteer basis as the organization had no funds to pay salaries to members. During the year I served at RIDI as its vice-president, I provided training to 80 students in schools including Samuduha Integrated College, Kicukiro district. In Southern Province RIDI initiated E_Education project at two secondary schools to improve the quality of teaching English language and practical courses mainly Chemistry using materials recorded on CDs. Here, more than 100 students participated in the project.
Currently, I head a company of five members that specializes in development of innovative web and mobile applications. I also work as volunteer at KLAB by offering coding training to young people.
Given the opportunity, Chevening scholarship will enhance my knowledge and skills, which I will use in development of my country.
