British High Commission Welcomes Home the 2017 Cohort of Chevening Scholars

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hree Saint Lucians recently returned home following the completion of a one-year post graduate study period in the United Kingdom. Alisha Ally, Kendall Elva and Louise Victor in 2017 were awarded a place among a prestigious contingent of aspiring and current leaders; the Chevening alumni. The trio were officially welcomed home by the British High Commission in Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean during an intimate gathering at the HC’s Vigie residence on Tuesday, November 13.

British High Commissioner to Barbados and The Eastern Caribbean, Mrs Janet Douglas officially welcomed home Chevening Scholars (L-R) Alisha Ally, Kendall Elva and Louise Victor.

“It was a completely fulfilling experience,” Ally told the STAR. She was fortunate to have undergone and received a Master of Arts in Media Practice for Development and Social Change from the University of Sussex—reputed to be the number one school in the world for Development Studies. Having returned to Saint Lucia, Ally’s quest to influence social change through local advocacy continues, along with her 10-year career in media.

Louise Victor, who is possibly best known for her accomplishments in pageantry and as a youth leader, successfully obtained an MA in International Public Relations and Global Communications Management from Cardiff University. “There were a few things that came as a culture shock but overall it was a good experience,” she said. Victor had also managed to take time away from her studies to represent Saint Lucia at the Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas. Now that she’s back home she is looking forward to sharing what she learned, and to making an even greater contribution to branding and communication on an international scale.

Kendall Elva, who pursued a MA in Social Development, also at the University of Sussex, said: “In the UK there is a proud legacy as it relates to being exposed to the finest universities in the world. While there, I was able to really understand a number of things that happen internationally. So, for me, the education was not solely academic but it has also added to how I see and situate myself in a global context. I think that the Chevening Scholarship is a wonderful opportunity to also be exposed to first class university experiences. It sort of gets you to escape some of the national boundaries and to really understand what the world is all about.”

Elva has returned to the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice, Empowerment  and Local government where he worked before leaving for the UK in September of 2017, and now operates as a Social Transformation Officer for Vieux Fort North and Vieux Fort South.

“Saint Lucia has had a number of achievements since Independence,” Elva asserted. “However, we are confronted by some tough challenges.” He has his sights focused on youth unemployment. “I think it is an issue we need to address soon so as to allow young people to contribute to the economy. I also think people need to be provided with the opportunity to achieve their goals.”

Chevening is the UK government’s international awards scheme. Through this opportunity, every year over 1,500 candidates receive full scholarships to study a masters programme at a university of their choice in the UK. Adding to its prestige, tens of thousands of applications are received, on average from over 140 countries.

About Saint Lucia’s applicants, Steve McCready, Resident British Commissioner in Saint Lucia, said: ”One thing I will say about the Chevening programme is that it’s very difficult to secure a place. Every year the Eastern Caribbean region gets a set application; usually it’s around 16 to 18. Because there are so few places in the Caribbean, demand is really high. The fact that Saint Lucia has three returning scholars this year says something about the high quality of applications that come from here each year. The understanding is that they are such high quality that they will come back and make a really valuable contribution.”

The Chevening programme has been ongoing for the past 35 years. Previous Saint Lucian awardees include now tourism minister Dominic Fedee and former government minister Dr. Jimmy Fletcher. Thanks to the programme, fire officer Kenisha Jeffrey and youth developer Lavorne Verdant-Desir are both pursuing Masters degrees, in the areas of Disaster Management and Resilience at Coventry University and Impact Evaluation for International Development at the University of East Anglia, respectively.