The CSC held its annual Farewell Event on Thursday 9 July to celebrate the achievements of our departing Scholars and Fellows. Hosted by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the event was a fantastic occasion for award holders to network and share experiences of their time in the UK. The event aims to promote consideration of the wider and long-term impact of the Scholars’ time in the UK, and how they can stay part of the CSC community.
We were joined at the event by the Honourable Enele Sopoaga, Prime Minister of Tuvalu and former Commonwealth Scholar (1993 MA International Relations, University of Sussex). The Prime Minister spoke about his experiences as a Commonwealth Scholar and the important role that Scholars play in addressing national and international challenges, especially relating to regional issues surrounding climate change. The event also featured speeches from David Concar, UK Commonwealth Envoy for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Richard Middleton, Chair of the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission.
Attended by over 180 award holders from 34 countries, Scholars and Fellows were joined by British and Commonwealth High Commissioners, and representatives from other Commonwealth organisations.
As well as encouraging networking, the event also highlighted how Scholars and Fellows can stay involved with the CSC as active alumni, and how they can contribute to the future strength of the scholarship scheme through the evaluation programme. Profiles collected by the CSC’s Evaluation and Alumni teams were displayed to demonstrate the work of former Scholars and Fellows, along with photos and information about the alumni associations and their events. Scholars and Fellows were also able to pick up their Commonwealth Scholarships Commission certificate verifying their award. On graduation, this year’s Scholars will join a network of 25,000 Commonwealth Scholars and Fellows.
