Chevening and a chance encounter

For overseas students, a master's degree in the UK goes by in an absolute flash. Between the intense workload and adapting to a new culture, it can be incredibly demanding. Yet, the most impressive students always seem to push themselves that little bit further to build a community and make the most of their time here.

That was exactly Penny Beeston’s impression when she met Giovanni Serrano from Ecuador last October The Bristol Festival of Tech run by techSPARK uk. She got chatting about the sheer calibre of Chevening Awards Scholars, the UK Government’s international scholarship scheme that brings outstanding global leaders to British universities. Having been lucky enough to film a fair few students on the scheme over the years, we know firsthand that these scholars arrive with interesting careers in their respective countries and go on to do even bigger things globally.

When Gio reached out about a podcast project he and his Chevening peers were launching to document their time in Bristol and share reflections for future international scholars, our team at Beeston Media was only too happy to lend them our podcast studio kit. We also shared a few tips on the all-important pre-production planning process to help them hit the ground running.

It takes real drive to launch a creative project alongside a rigorous degree, and it is a brilliant example of intentional networking. We’re looking forward to hearing the insights and stories they produce.

Well done to the production team working with Gio: Lilie Vega, Azlafa Nawshaba, Ngoc Mai Le Whitney M.