Meet the Commonwealth Scholar

IF I COULD, YOU DEFINITELY CAN!

Hello everyone!

My name is Glory Orejesu Ajayi, I studied International Law and Diplomacy for my undergraduate degree at Babcock University where I finished with a second class upper division in 2017.  I am a 2019 Commonwealth scholar currently studying for an MA in Gender and International Development.

I heard about the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship for the first time from a friend who had gone ahead for her masters through the same funding body. I picked it up from there and went on to do my research about it and took note of the application timeline. Prior to that time, I had put in for admissions at various UK universities in preparation for the scholarship but to my amazement, the schools I was offered admission weren’t on the list for funding that year. Unusually, I didn’t feel bad, but reviewed the list of eligible courses and applied for admission at the University of Warwick, since it had a course that aligned with my career direction and it was offering a broader curriculum for the course. I worked on my admission application alongside my Commonwealth application. Actually, I didn’t think about the selection criteria (By this I mean I did not give in to fear that I wasn’t qualified for the scholarship) but I put in my best in the application with the little experience I had gathered over the years in my chosen career path from working, interning and volunteering.

The application essays were really tough but I pushed through despite different challenges. I felt sick at some point during the process but I didn’t give up or stop giving my best (reviewing, receiving feedback, reflecting and rewriting). I told myself that it was better to attempt it, and if it doesn’t work out I will know that I didn’t chicken out along the way. Through hard work, tenacity, resilience and God’s favor, I found myself receiving two competitive and prestigious awards: The University of Sussex Chancellor’s International scholarship and the Commonwealth Shared Scholarship. This was because I didn’t stop at just applying for Commonwealth shared scholarship but I also applied for internal funding in all the schools I put in for admission.

The essence of this short piece is to encourage someone who has a dream to study abroad through a fully funded scholarship, it is possible! Please give it a good shot If I could get it at my first attempt, you can too!

My advice: Please position yourself for global opportunities by attending trainings, conferences in line with your chosen path, working and also volunteering. Be intentional about your inner circle because they are able to give you information that will change your life forever. Lastly remember that your competition is not your next door neighbor but someone in a more developed country who has access to more information and what better way to prepare and compete than to research, be up to date with what is happening in your field and learn from others that have gone ahead.

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