The sky’s the limit: Current Chevening Scholar shares his ambitions for the future

When I first read the lines ‘We are delighted to inform you…’ in an email sent by Chevening, it was the moment I realised dreams can come true.

Before applying for a Chevening Scholarship, I was a person who was afraid to share his dreams. I believed that what I hoped to achieve would never be possible.

It has now been six months since I became a Chevener. I am sure that all of us who started this adventure together—those representing more than 160 countries—arrived in the UK with dreams and goals to fulfil.

Ambitions are those dreams that we are sometimes scared of. We are afraid of flying high and falling. But what I have come to learn is that there is nothing wrong with falling; what matters is starting the flight.

It’s safe to say that my flight has started and it has taught me some wonderful things along the way. It has helped me to discover and rediscover myself. It has shown me what I am capable of.

Thanks to Chevening I am no longer afraid to say out loud what my ambitions are.

I am currently studying for an MA in Educational Leadership and Management at the University of Warwick. Previously, the only ambition I had was to become a teacher. But along the way, I discovered other passions and improvements I wanted to make in my country. I began to create spaces for teachers, where they felt supported and could share their stories, and connect with each other.

I now recognise that I no longer only want to be a teacher; I want to help all the teachers in my country to be the best versions of themselves.

Now that I have been in the UK, I have not stopped dreaming because I have realised that I can achieve anything I put my mind to. Thanks to this unforgettable experience and the knowledge I have been acquiring in my master’s degree, I feel more confident in myself. I no longer feel like it is crazy to want to work in educational policy, to improve the educational system, and to develop educational reform that supports the growth of educational improvement in my country.

Now I can dream about creating a department that provides mental health services to teachers who need support to be able to continue making a difference to the lives of their students.

Also being the secretary of education of my state doesn’t sound insane anymore. Nor does it sound crazy to say that I could even become the programme officer of my country for Chevening one day, helping to select and support the next generation of change makers.

I owe it all to Chevening for pushing me to fly higher every day.