Ok!, this is how the story goes.
Sometime in September 2016, i received a call around 8am from the Midlands State University Dean of Students. As the Enactus Team Leader at that time, he instructed me to mobilize interested final year students to attend a Chevening Scholarship Seminar which was slotted for 10:30am, the same day. So I quickly crafted a message and utilized all the digital communication platforms available. Also, with the assistance of other students, we went to lecture rooms of Final Year students inviting them to the seminar.
Word got out faster than expected and East Lecture Theater was fully packed just after 10am. Well, I was happy I had successfully completed my task but I hadn't anticipated the depth and relevance of the information I was about to hear. The pitch by the British Embassy representative of the Chevening Award was truly an eye opener and the testimony by a Chevening Alumnus transformed my perspective and I was truly inspired. I was convinced, I wanted to be Chevening Scholar.
Fast forward to November 3 2017, after we had returned from the Enactus World Cup in UK. I was scrolling down my LinkedIn timeline and I saw a post that caught my attention. It was a shared post of John Culley titled, "Last minute tips for Chevening Applicants". It was at that moment that I realized how the Enactus World Cup experience had made me lose track of time.
So the deadline was November 7. I had only 72 hours to complete the gruesome and demanding Chevening application process. So I decided to put on hold everything I had planned to do for the next 3 days.
I created an account and started going through the application requirements. At first glance, I felt that they were demanding a lot of things but I then I understood my "why". So I still continued with the application. With the aid of motivational music and some energy drinks, I spent a cumulative of 60+ hours sitting on my desktop, applying. The whole process was demanding and grueling. Imagine trying to complete an application process that has a 4 month time-frame in just 72 hours. It seemed impossible but I had to give it my all.
Despite all the challenges I managed to complete, revise and correct all the required information and I submitted my application just 10 minutes before the November 7, 12:00pm deadline. This meant that I was now part of the 1800+ hopeful applicants who applied within Zimbabwe.
Then the waiting process began. I am sure you have an idea about what was going on in my head. It is during this time that I started furthering my research about the Chevening Award. Wanted to know what I would miss if I'm not going to get the award and also who I could become if I'm to get the scholarship. I starting looking at their roster of local and international previous scholars. I got really scared and inspired at the same time.
Chevening Zimbabwe only accepted 15+/- scholars per year, all of whom were known to have contributed a lot to their field, people who had years of experience and who were leaders in their field of expertise. I couldn't picture myself in the shoes of Alex T. Magaisa, George Charamba, Supa Mandiwanzira, human rights lobbyist Okay Machisa, banker George Guvamatanga amongst others. I convinced myself that I had not reached that level. Despite that fact that I had done and achieved a lot in my field and definitely had a lot of potential to do more, my mind told me that still it wasn't enough.
In as much as I had a belief that I could do it, the "doubting Thomas" in me was always whispering to me otherwise. That realization led me to panic mode and I started considering applying for other scholarships as well.
Fast forward to February 2018, I received an email with the following introductory paragraph:
After reviewing your application for a Chevening Award 2018/2019, we are pleased to inform you that your application has been progressed to the next stage of the selection process, and you have been selected to attend an interview.
I was super excited. I couldn't believe it. I thanked God. I started praying and preparing for the interviews, with the limited time I had due to my work schedule. I also called some of my friends who had contributed a lot to my personal development, for advise. Finally I booked my interview appointment for 17 April and by the grace of God, I met a very friendly panel which asked somewhat unpredictably tough and tricky questions but i remained calm and confident during the 30 minute interview.
Just before I left, Tom (one of the interviewers), reminded me that I should celebrate being shortlisted for the interviews considering the volume of applications and quality of applicants they received. In a nutshell I was now part of the remaining 65 out of 1800 applicants to be shortlisted for interviews. Well, since I thought I wouldn't even reach the interview stage, such statistics made me celebrate as if I had received the scholarship.
After the interview, I needed to make sure all my papers were in order including the IELTS English Tests which are a mandatory requirement for one to get the Final Award Letter, assuming you pass the interview stage.
I was advised to take the test after the results of the interview, since taking them before was a "huge risk". Indeed it was a huge risk, the exam fee for IELTS was USD$245 payable via VISA & MasterCard, in bond notes the amount was even higher considering the foreign currency shortages in Zimbabwe and out of the 65 candidates shortlisted for the interviews, 20+/- applicants were needed. So definitely, it was a huge risk, because i would have sat for an exam whose certificate relevance was hanging in the balance. However, i remembered James 2:17 which says, "faith without works is dead". Therefore, I decided to take the tests on 12 May before announcement of the results and then continued to wait.
Weeks after the interview I got another email on 7 June 2018. It read as follows:
We are delighted to inform you that the selection committee was very impressed with your application and interview and had conditionally selected you for a 2018/2019 Chevening Award. Chevening Awards are prestigious and highly competitive so congratulations for reaching this stage!
Imagine the excitement. I couldn't believe it.
Oh! Wait!.
Let me also share the phenomenal supernatural experience I had before i received that awesome email.
On Sunday 3 June 2018, I had a dream, Yes! A dream!.
I was in a seemingly Pentecostal Church Conference. As soon as the conference commenced, a certain pastor (whom I will not name) walked in, out of all the congregants in that church, he came directly towards me. Without hesitation he touched my forehead and I quickly felt an invigorating rush of energy boosting "electricity" going through my entire body. I was left energized and refreshed after that and then, I woke up!.
That Sunday morning, I told a close friend of mine about the "weird dream" and he suggested that maybe God was pouring out blessings on me and he had to use a familiar face to me. This would allow me to understand and relate to the dream better hence he used that particular pastor. Since I was definitely desperate for answers, I considered his interpretation and waited for another signal.
Well I didn't wait for long, later on that day, my mother who works in South Africa called me to tell me about an amazing day she had at church. She went on to tell me how the Pastor at her church randomly picked her from the congregation and told her that God had informed him that her son will be traveling back to London very soon for something related to school or work. Imagine! I couldn't believe it.
Well, I hadn't told my mom about the scholarship applications I had made, since I only wanted to do that after i received one. So this was definitely unbelievably real.
As she narrated her story all I could see was how God has been preparing me for this moment. All the achievements and initiatives I made in my life and the lives of others, were all leading me to this point. The impact that I had done which I still felt was nothing. The realization and this experience was truly unbelievable and humbling at the same time. Imagine the feeling experiencing the power of God firsthand. I was left speechless and my soul was left overwhelmed by the unworthy feeling of such unmerited favor (God's Grace).
True to the prophecy, the email I quoted above came in 4 days later, around lunchtime.
On 27 July 2018 I received my Final Award Letter for my Chevening Scholarship and I'm now officially a Chevening Scholar. A dream come true. Not only that, but I'm the youngest of the 2018/2019 group of Zimbabwe Chevening Scholars.
I will now be pursuing an MSc in International Development: Globalization, Trade and Industry at the University of Manchester, one of best ranked universities in U.K. Not only that, I have passion for the industry that my masters is relevant to.
I have shared this personal testimony of how God is indeed doing wonders in the lives of ordinary people across the globe and how hard work pays. I don't know what you believe in but just remember that God is real and truly loving. Most importantly i simply want to inspire other young men and women who also feel they deserve such opportunities.
Calls for Applications for the Chevening Scholarships are made every year. Follow this link to get more information http://www.chevening.org/apply
I will be more than happy to offer any form of help within my reach in the application process at any stage to all those interested. Just drop an email to mrtatendazuze@gmail.com.
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