Three decades of Chevening

THE AUTHOR (second from right) with fellow Chevening scholars

For three decades, Chevening has been giving aspiring young leaders from 118 countries across the globe an  opportunity to receive a British education.

By sheer happenstance, Chevening held its welcome reception for its scholars last year on Nov. 29, the date I was born 30 years ago.

Sheffield, a charming borough in southern Yorkshire in England, was the venue for a congregation of scholars of diverse backgrounds. I met scholars from countries like Kazakhstan, Moldova and Cameroon.

It is difficult to list the many things I am thankful to Chevening for (my list of favorite things about Chevening and life in the United Kingdom  gets longer as the days pass), but three things stand out:

Free education in a World Heritage Site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Few things in life are more exciting than traveling and discovering new places and faces. Being able to do all that as a student without having to worry about paying first-world tuition on a third-world salary is definitely one of them. Edinburgh (in Scotland) simply astounds.

Unparalleled network and support group

Chevening was there to support us throughout the year. Before we left the Philippines to pursue postgraduate studies, the British embassy organized a predeparture briefing where the previous year’s scholars regaled us with accounts of their adventures in the UK and shared useful tips like where to get the cheapest produce and which websites to visit for last-minute tickets to West End shows.

Chevening also found us buddies, former scholars and students from our UK university now working in our fields of interest. They helped orient us as we were finding our bearings in our new cities.

Outdoor learning

The University of Edinburgh in Scotland is the perfect place to study environmental and climate change management. For our course orientation, our program director took us on a field trip to the Cairngorms, the UK’s largest national park, where we had lectures on water resource management with the River Dee as our classroom.

We learned about biodiversity in Aberdeenshire, watching fascinated as salmon jumped upriver to spawn in the clear waters of Feugh.

Back in Edinburgh after orientation, we were amazed to discover that our department had its own helicopter and ski mobile for dissertation fieldwork in the Antarctic.

This level of investment for our education shows just how committed the university is to providing spaces for learning and growth.

As I celebrated my birthday surrounded by old and new friends, I gave a silent toast of gratitude for these wonderful blessings.

Cheers, Chevening and Edinburgh! You made my turning 30 a welcome occasion.

Editor’s Note: The author is currently taking up Master of Science in Environment and Development at the University of Edinburgh under the British Chevening Scholarships. She worked as an associate at SyCip Salazar Hernandez & Gatmaitan, a full-service law firm in the Philippines.