Hacking Chevening Scholarship on First Attempt!

Howdy?

I hope that you are keeping you. I am. I am excited to be posting this blog post today from my country Kenya. It has been six months since I was last in Nairobi, Kenya. You can imagine my excitement. The thought of being home with family, relatives and friends, who seem so close yet so far, is also something that I look forward to. Flying home during the COVID-19 era has been quite traumatic. You really want to see all your loved ones but there is that little matter of self-isolation. Anyway, I am happy to be back home safe and sound, I look forward to our little chit-chats and hugs. I did my COVID-test before leaving the UK, I hope my negative status remains. I am careful to put on my protective gear and I have two sanitizers in my handbag. I am not taking any chances. Therefore, can we all agree that we will protect each other? Protect me, as I protect you. Life is much better when we are all healthy and bubbly.

To everyone stopping to read my blog posts, leaving your comments or sharing with others, thank you! I do appreciate you. I might not say it as often, but please, do feel appreciated and valued. My #CheveningJourney has seen its readership grow tremendously. I have received lots of inboxes with many people interested in applying for the next intake. I wish you all the best. Please be notified, I am unable to look at your essays until sometime in October. I promise I will, but….. I cannot do it in September. I am still taking a breather after submission of the dissertation marking the completion of my one year Master’s course at Cardiff University. That was the fastest year of my life.

Following last week’s blog post, with Light Juma, a 2020/21 Chevening Scholar narrating her journey into winning the prestigious Chevening Scholarship eight years later, many applicants have sent me questions asking….”Patience, do you know of any Scholar who have received this Scholarship on the first attempt?” My answer has been..”Yes, there are a number of Scholars who have won the scholarship on the first attempt. I will ask them to share their stories.”

Today, I am glad and very humbled to be introducing to you such a scholar from Kenya. Brenda Jepkosgei, 24 years old, is probably one of the youngest scholar joining in the 2020/21 cohort. She shares her journey, her aspirations and tips that made her ace this very competitive and challenging road to becoming a Chevener….with just one attempt. If she did it….you too can!

Here she goes……….

Hey. My name is Brenda. I hope it is not late to celebrate #ChosenForChevening….. and YES, I can’t seem to keep calm, I got chosen for Chevening!! Getting chosen for the prestigious Chevening Award by the UK government to pursue a Master’s degree in the UK for me was a surprise and an indication of God’s love and reward for hard work, courage, faith and willingness to try. 

I applied for Chevening in October 2019 before my graduation which was slated for December 2019. I knew that my chance of making it was next to impossible as Chevening attracts a very high calibre of professionals with vast knowledge and experience in their fields all over the world. This fact didn’t scare me, I dared to try and after a long year of essay writing, University applications and the toughest interview in my entire life, I proudly got selected. I am overly excited to be part of 3% chosen worldwide for the year 2020/21….and among the youngest.

Thank you Chevening Awards (FCO)  for the once in a lifetime opportunity to study in the UK and experience the British culture. Chevening to me was a journey of faith, belief, hope, courage, tears and most importantly God’s favour. I am happy to pay it forward. I am ready to mentor others for this life-changing opportunity.

On the link below, I share my unique #CheveningJourney. Looking forward to your feedback.  

Here we go-
https://brendaspetalsofwisdom.wordpress.com/2020/08/23/my-chevening-journey/

Would you like to share your Chevening Journey? If yes, do get in touch with me on nyangep@gmail.com. All the best.

#IAmChevening and this too is #MyCheveningJourney.