On Tuesday 2 July 2024, we welcomed Commonwealth Scholars to the Farewell event at Alexandra Palace in London to celebrate their success and mark the end of their time in the UK.
In partnership with the Chevening and Marshall Scholarship schemes, the Farewell event brought together more than 1,200 Scholars studying at UK universities and representing countries from across the globe.
We were delighted to welcome two former Commonwealth Scholars, Khadija Amir and Paballo Chauke, and Deputy Chair of the CSC, Professor Morag McDonald, as guest speakers at this year’s event.
Welcoming Scholars
The event opened with words from Annabel Boud, Head of Commonwealth Scholarships, who congratulated Scholars on their achievements. This was followed by a joint welcome address delivered by leading figures from each of the scholarship schemes, including Professor McDonald, who highlighted the special contribution that Scholars make to the UK and their home countries.
“The Farewell Event is an opportunity to celebrate but it is not so much an ending as a beginning. As Scholars, you are part of an active and ever-growing community that thrives because of the actions of its members.” – Professor Morag McDonald
What does it take to be a changemaker?
After the opening address, we welcomed three former Scholars to our alumni panel to share their advice on what it takes to be a changemaker. The panel was chaired by Mais Montazar, Alumni UK Global Programme Lead at the British Council, and featured Paballo Chauke, 2015 Commonwealth Scholar, Ghutai Khuram, 2016 Chevening Scholar, and Dr Jacqueline Zavala, 2015 Marshall Scholar.
Paballo Chauke, a Scholar from South Africa who completed his studies at the University of Oxford, discussed the challenges of finding a career niche and overcoming imposter syndrome. Though he now works as a training coordinator with the Wellcome Sangar Institute to support the eradication of malaria, Paballo spoke about facing setbacks in his own career and the importance of learning from failure.
“Never internalise failure – whether you like it or not, you are going to fail in different areas of life, many times. Even after failing, refuse to wear failure.” – Paballo Chauke
Reflecting on his scholarship journey, Paballo encouraged Scholars to be bold, adaptable, and resilient to achieve their goals.
Commonwealth and Chevening Scholars forging connections at Farewell 2024
Becoming the leaders of the future
The keynote address was given by Khadija Amir, a 2014 Commonwealth Scholar from Pakistan who completed an MSc in Sustainable Development from the University of Exeter. Khadija now coordinates the University of Cambridge’s Decarbonisation Network, providing a forum for academics, industry, and the public sector to identify accelerated routes to decarbonisation through interdisciplinary research.
In her address, Khadija spoke about the life-changing impact of her Commonwealth Scholarship and the friendships and connections she made, both as a Scholar in the UK and afterwards through the CSC Alumni Network. Khadija urged Scholars to use their skills and networks to bring about positive change in their countries and communities.
“You are not just graduates, you are leaders with the power to create change.” – Khadija Amir
The closing remarks were given by Nikki Stoddart, Deputy Director of Education, Gender and Equalities at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), who thanked Scholars for their ongoing contributions in a variety of fields and expressed her hope that they would remain connected as alumni.
“You are now part of a global alumni network of over 81,000 Chevening, Commonwealth and Marshall Scholars.” – Nikki Stoddart
Following the main programme, Scholars took the opportunity to discuss their research and studies and learn about how to get involved in the CSC Alumni Network during a networking reception.
The photos from the Farewell 2024 are now available on the CSC Flickr channel.
