Hi am Bianca and am applying for the chevening scholarship and I will need your assistant on my essay kindly help me review and also correct my grammatical errors. I have exceeded 500 words too.
A leader is one who leads the way, shows the way and knows the way
Leadership and influence
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 leadership and influencing skills to support your answer (minimum word count 100 words, maximum word count 500 words)
My response on the essay:
Leadership is the ability of an individual or group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organization.
John C. Maxwell quoted that a leader is one who knows the way, goes the way and shows the way. From this great quote it made me realize that a leader always has a vision and a mission which helps him in achieving set out goals. It also connotes that a leader can never mislead his followers.
My first leadership skill which I can vividly remember was when I was undergoing my industrial training in the year 2017 at Chemiron International Limited. My supervision was ill and couldn't make it to work but unfortunately that day taw materials from India was brought in and done on the five different raw materials that day so as to ascertain that they are of standards according to the European pharmacopoeia used. The pressure from the Production department was much because they have to wait for the go ahead of the Quality Control laboratory before production can take place. I summoned courage and place a calk to my supervision and told him what is happening and he gave me direct orders to lead the following students so we carry out the necessary test. It was at this moment it dawned on me what it entails to be a leader. I called out to my team and instructed each and everyone their own roles which I also supervised some of my mates. Starting from the sample collection, sterility testing down to the documentation of results I ensured everyone was carried along and the result was successful. To my surprise I was able to build a strong team and we were commented by the Quality Assurance Manager. This incidence made me realize the importance of a leader..
I was courageous to represent my school for quiz and spelling B which we came second in the 2018 National Association of Microbiology Students (NAMS) South-East chapter thatvwaa held in Abia State University, Uturu in Abia state, Nigeria. I and my colleague that represented my school worked together as a team which made us to realize that as a team we can achieve more.
Being a leader also involves having passion for helping people and getting things right, my project topic was on antibiotics resistance profile of pathogenic bacteria found in airport, I was made the leader of my project group but I volunteered in assisting the assigned leader from the point of market survey to going to market to get the necessary reagents and material for the practical, I arranged for a car that would convey us to and fro from the airport to the laboratory to avoid contamination of the samples. During the practical work I ensured to carry everyone along on what to do and my project supervisor was pleased with what I was doing and he took notice of me. Weeks to the to the defense day I drafted out expected questions that the external supervisor may ask and gave it to everyone which influenced everyone to research for the answers. The defense was successful myself and other four students made an A while the rest had B's. The joy and smiles I saw on the faces of my colleagues made me happy and satisfied.
As a leader you must be ready to serve the society. During the Orientation camp of the National Youth service corps (NYSC) in Nigeria I joined the Nigerian Red Cross Society because so many corp members were fainting due to the strenuous exercise the soldiers made them do, I was taught the Basis of First Aid which I put into practice whenever there's a casualty on the parade ground.
To cap it all, as a leader there are some good qualities you must posses to be called a good leader and they include; a good leader must be passionate, courageous, trustworthy, willingness to help your members, ability to influence positive thoughts to your team and also ability to make sound judgements and decisions.Hi there~
Your essay gives me many inspirations as I am working on the essay as well.
Good luck to us~
Thanks so much but I need some corrections too if you can help me .
@idriseltayeb
Bianca weldone with your essay and goodluck with your Chevening application. I'm also applying for this year's cohort. In essence, we are in it together. Meanwhile, permit me to contribute a little.
This will be the first essay that will connect you with the reviewer so it has to make a good impression about your personality and why the reviewer should pique an interest in the rest of the essays. I think your introduction is not hooking enough. You should probably consider eliminating the defination of leadership and start with the quote or a personal story that highlights your ability to influence.
Remember, the prompt focuses on leadership and influence. So you can talk about your ability to influence as well with a relevant example of how you've done it before. I still feel your leadership experiences aren't robust enough, although that doesn't mean you must have held a position with the UN or pioneered a ground breaking movement. It could be as little as a post you effectively handled in school. For example, your quiz or debate experience is ok but focus more on yourself not your colleague. Something like I charged my colleague to be confident and made her rehearsed repeatedly for the competition. Your essay is a tool to sell yourself, always keep this in mind.
Also use word contractions to effectively maximize the word limit. For example, instead of 'I summoned courage and place a call to my supervision and told him what is happening and he gave me direct orders to lead the following students so we carry out the necessary test (34 words)', you can say 'Courageously, I informed my supervisor on the situation and he instructed me to engage the students for the task (19 words)'.
Try not to exaggerate as well. So many corps members were fainting somehow creates a false picture of your statement. You can consider 'I voluntarily joined the red cross team to assist in ensuring the well-being and safety of corps members through the rigourous training exercises in the camp.
Finally, I will advise you take a day to do an introspection, recall how you have influenced a particular cause or how you have led effectively in a specific area. Goodluck to us once more.
