One of the many things that continues to impress me about Armenia is the Armenians’ appetite for learning. Wherever I go I meet people from all walks of life whoare working tirelessly to improve their education or that of their children.
That is why one of the more enjoyable aspects of my job is Chairing the annual selection panel for the UK’s Chevening Scholarship programme in Armenia.
Each year, together with the other panel members, I get the opportunity to help certain individuals fulfil their ambition to further their studies in the UK. As well as being enjoyable, this is also a difficult task because the competition is strong and the standard of applications is high.
For those who don’t know, Chevening Scholarships are the UK government’s global scholarship programme funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and partner organisations. Scholarships are awarded to established or emerging leaders to pursue a one-year Master’s degrees in any subject at any of the UK’s leading universities. The students that I have helped to select over the past two years have all been very different. They have come from a wide range of backgrounds and have wanted to study a wide range of subjects. The one
things that they have all had in common is the potential to be future leaders in their respective fields.
Once scholars have completed their one-year Master’s, the Chevening experience doesn’t stop there. Successful students go on to join an influential and highly regarded network of 43,000 alumni. It is another great pleasure for me to meet Chevening alumni in Armenia whether it is on social occasions or better still during the course of my everyday work, where I meet alumni who have achieved their goals and are holding leadership positions across a wide range of fields: including politics, business, media, civil society and academia.
Applications for 2015/16 Chevening Scholarships are now open. If you think you have what it takes to become a Chevening Scholar and would like the opportunity to join a prestigious and influential group of leaders and policy makers, check the eligibility criteria at http://www.chevening.org/armenia/
After all, why not make my job harder than it already is? 🙂
Good luck!
Amias Moores,
Charge d’Affaires
British Embassy Yerevan