 Hello and welcome to interview production of the government information service. I am Jordan Beesett Joseph Now today, we're going to be talking about the British shevenin Scholarship Program and I'm joined by two ladies that is Ayadella Hippolyte of the British High Commission and Miss, sorry, LeVon Verdant Daisy who is actually a scholarship alumni. So thank you for joining us today ladies Thank you for having us. Okay. Now, let's find out more about the program Tell me a little bit about what the initiative is, what the scheme actually pertains. Right. So the shevenin scholarship is the UK government scholarship program that funds master studies in the main but postgraduate study fully funded and it is run by the foreign and Commonwealth office in collaboration with other development partners, but the idea behind this particular scholarship that the UK government funds is to engender, develop leaders, influencers, decision makers, people who can transform their social context, their community, their society. So the shevenin has that particular focus and as we talk some more you'll realize it's not just about academic potential or academic brilliance. It's about people who are socially engaged, who want to tackle the challenges that they see in their, in their as I said social context community and so on. So it's not just about being bright. Okay. You also have to be somebody who cares about your society and you want to do something about it. Okay, no problem. Now on reading up on the scholarship, like you were saying, I saw that the scholarships actually awarded to what they, the exceptional individuals with leadership potential. That's right. Break that down for us. Exactly what kind of individual are we talking about? Okay, so I'll answer and then let Lavonne, who is an example of that as a scholar. We're looking at people who are not afraid to see a problem identified and tackle it. Okay. So in the interview process, it's not just about how well you did in your first degree because you must have a first degree but it's also identifying that particular issue or problem that you see and having ideas about how to deal with it, having a vision. So I've said in other publicity appearances that it's almost having an ethos or philosophy about how you tackle the particular problem that you see and identify and that person must be proactive, that person must be dynamic, have energy. Right? So that's that's really what we're looking for. When you talk to Lavonne, she's gonna say, oh, she fits into that, but obviously she's an example of that having been a scholar returning this year. So that's what it really means and it comes out in from the application process where they ask you to explain why it is that you want to study that particular course of study and how it will help you to tackle the issues back in your society. Okay. So leave it on for that. If you can, just because in your own opinions and through your own experience as someone who applies for the scholarship, what did you actually add to your application that you think that the scholarship awardees were looking for? Okay, I think for me, it was narrowing down those things that I think distinguished me from the average young person. Okay. I know there are thousands of young people on island and even more young people around the world and our experiences aren't very different and just coming back home to St. Lucia, there is an obvious need to distinguish while everybody, for instance, may be involved in youth development, which I was at the district level, at the national level, and I represented St. Lucia as a Commonwealth Youth Ambassador. It went beyond stating those titles to speaking to things, specific contributions. So whether it was the process evaluation or process development or stakeholder engagement or output reformatting or the monitoring or something, but it spoke to more or less the improvement or extension of an idea or plan or project program and ensuring at the same time that the key stakeholders are involved and that the desired outcomes are realized. Okay. So I think that is, that may have been, I didn't see everybody else's, but that may have contributed to my being selected and I know that I was very specific based on the support I got from other scholars, especially who knew me personally, who kept probing and saying, but you didn't say you did that. You could say that better, expand on that. So yes, that's what I did. Okay. Now you are, it's very, I like the idea of getting the whole experience story from you. So if you could just elaborate on that and tell us a little bit about why this scholarship, more than maybe any others, appealed to you. And it was one that when you saw, you were like, yeah, maybe that's that's the scholarship for me. What was it that appealed to you? For me, I'm not an athlete, so it was about identifying something. I'm very competitive. Okay. I don't always get through everything I attempt the way I want to, but it's about being strategic and it's about realizing that those things that were required, that I had it in some form and it was being able to reflect it adequately. So they wanted leadership and as I said, I've done it on different levels. They wanted people who had networks and because of my involvement, I had worked with Caricom, with Commonwealth, locally with Pan-America Health Organization, local offices and Ministry of Health. So I had that and they wanted people who had a plan and I always have a plan. So it was just about tightening that plan and explaining how my past experiences feed into where I hope to be or at least my immediate projections, yes, would allow me to see myself placed and so that is what it was for me. Okay, brilliant. Well, it's time for us to have a very short break. When we come back, I want to hear all about the application process because I want everybody out there to understand exactly what they have to actually do to see if they have a chance. We've been awarded the scholarship. So we'll be back in a few seconds. One of the eight university-recognized rights of the consumer is the right to be heard. This means that every consumer who is dissatisfied with a good or service has the right to lodge a complaint to the provider of that good or that service. This should be the first point of lodging a complaint. Ensure that the receipt, as proof of the transaction, is available. Welcome back to interview. I am Jolene B. Setjoseph and today we are talking about the British Evening Scholarship Program. Now ladies, before we went to break, I was saying to you, I really want to hear about the application process because there's many out there that most probably would like to know what to do. Right, to the requirements. First of all, you must have a first degree. There was a time back, because I'm a former scholar myself, and back when I applied, I think you could get away with like a postgraduate diploma, something like that. But it's become so competitive, as LeVon hinted at, that a good first degree, and not just any, it has to be a second class honours. Or yes, it's not a just pass first degree, right. You also need to have about two years' work experience. They like that. LeVon talked about having networked and the things she had done. That counts. But what I like about this particular scholarship is that there's no upper age limit. A lot of scholarships have a cut-off point with a 35. It's great. So you can be 55, 60. It doesn't matter. Once you have a first degree, and once, obviously by that time, you have more than two years' work experience. And you have what LeVon talked about in terms of a vision, a plan for how you're going to tackle a particular issue. Then you are eligible to apply. Obviously, you have to come from, say, which is a chiefening country, so there are eligibility requirements in terms of that. So if you're from another island or other place, you have to make sure that that place is a chiefening country, right, which basically means being part of the Commonwealth. So those are some of the basic requirements. But the essential thing, apart from having that academic requirement and the years of work experience, is that vision, Geraldine. What LeVon said, and I'm glad she's here, obviously that's why she's here to explain how important it is to be specific and to be very clear about how you plan to tackle whatever issue it is that you say you're going to tackle. And I must say this, I do think that if two scholars or two candidates go up against each other and they're both academically at the same level, the person with that vision and the person with that clear idea will get the edge. So when LeVon talked about her involvement in Commonwealth youth program and so on, very important. So even if you're not civically engaged at the moment, have some idea of how you become civically or socially engaged, right, but you must have that idea of how you're going to come back and contribute meaningfully to your society. So those are the, and go on to, yeah, so quickly, it's down, everything's done online, to www.chiefening.org, and you'll get the, everything's done online initially. Okay, I was going to say. Yeah, so they do that initially, then they make sure that eligibility criteria are there, and then from that, they do a long list, and then from that long list, then they pick out, okay, we like these people, then they interview you. And that's done about February, 2020, March, 2020, that kind of time. And then it's the interview now that things get serious. Because now everybody bright, everybody's brilliant. Who are you? And you really have to be authentic and be serious and real about what to say that you're going to do. And by then all the references and that sort of things, you need referees, the usual things. But the important thing I want, and I'm sure everyone can say more about this, is to be passionate, and it's to be real about what it is you're going to do. Because you're also required to come back after the scholarship. You can't just take off to the UK and never return. You have to come back and put into practice what you say that you are going to do. And quickly, I have to say, they don't make any restrictions on which university in the UK. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter about the course. That's why Achievement is such a great scholarship, fully, fully funded. You don't pay for a thing, but they don't tell you where to study or what to study. Once it is in line with what you say you're going to do and how it's going to contribute to your society, that's all they require from you. Everyone can talk more about what she did and why and where. So please do, please elaborate. Okay, I did a Master's in Science at the University of East Anglia in Impact Evaluation for International Development. I chose Impact Evaluation because I have a very quantitative academic background, so I have a Master's in Actuarial Sciences and I have a Bachelor's Degree in Actuarial Sciences and I have a Master's in Project Management. But I noticed very quickly that in the region, we outsource a lot of the Impact Evaluators. And we also have a situation where we do a lot of M&E, which is good. But in terms of establishing the difference between causality and correlation, so you may see certain outcomes, but extracting it so that you are affirmative with regards to whether the impact of an after-school program, for instance, is based on your implementation of the after-school and not because of support from probably parents or something. Using numbers is something that we didn't have. And so I noticed that niche and not just distinguishing me for shivering but coming back home, it would have raised the bar with regards to our prospects for speaking to our donors and reporting properly what we do. So that is why I chose that. Okay, brilliant. Now, time is really running out very fast. So before we do head out though, I want to just get from both of you why, like maybe even give a call to action for people, to just explain to them why it's important to, if something has clicked after hearing what you've had to say, they should really make the application to see if they can get understanding. Okay, I'll be quick because I want LaVon to have the last word. Very quickly, fully funded, everything, from your airfare to the tuition to your books to subsistence, you pay for nothing, not alone. So fully funded, the UK experience, experiencing another culture, experiencing another way of life in a metropolitan place. And you can study anywhere in the UK, so that's either England, Wales or Scotland, right? And meeting others like yourself and other people not like yourselves. So it's a brilliant opportunity for which you pay nothing. And then you get the chance to come back and be a meaningful part of your society. That's why you should. Okay. For me, it would have to do with that professional component that is added to the academic experience because it's a lot more than the books and even the technology, but meeting with the professionals, the expanded network, and the ability to challenge your thought. Because there's something that happens when there are too many bright people in the room that forces you to notice that, okay, probably I have not thought of this adequately. So yes, there's that opportunity, yes, through that scholarship experience in the UK that really changes somebody's mindset, I think. So yeah, I think it'd be exceptionally place if they apply and once they get through, they'd be better for it. And the deadline is November 5th. Thank you. Well, ladies, thank you for joining me today. It was been a wonderful discussion. And I'm sure everybody's out there is very happy to hear a little bit more about the scholarship. Thank you, Chelsea. Excellent. Thank you for being here with us at interview, however, for now. Bye-bye.