260 scholarship holders attended the two-day kick-off event organised by the Swedish Institute. They were welcomed by Director General Madeleine Sjöstedt and introduced to Sweden, intercultural communication, self-leadership, and study techniques. A keynote speech was held by Darja Isaksson, Director General of Vinnova, the Swedish agency for Innovation. She introduced how Sweden works with innovation and sustainability and encouraged the scholars to make use of the many research centres of Swedish universities during their time here. When asking what the main take-away from the kick-off was, Damilola Balogun, a scholarship holder from Nigeria found the keynote particularly interesting:
– The insight from the speech closely relates to my field of study – Entrepreneurship, Sustainability and Social Change – and particularly in relation to my goal of contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on youth development. Darja highlighted the potential for integrating sustainability into entrepreneurship, fostering innovation for sustainable solutions and empowering youth to contribute significantly to achieving the SDGs.
Another important highlight of this year’s event was a student panel with scholarship holders now beginning their second year of their master’s in Sweden. It gave the participants an opportunity to discuss how to best adapt into Swedish university and teaching, how to strategically make the most out of their time in Sweden and receive some well-appreciated advice for their first year. Jeff Derbi-Okae studies the master’s programme Atmosphere, Climate and Ecosystems at Gothenburg University and found the weekend very fruitful:
– Since the kick-off, I’ve recognized the importance of shifting my perspective to make the most of my time in Sweden. My previous way of thinking, influenced by my background, is now undergoing a transformation. The event and the conversations over the weekend have opened my eyes to new ideas. I eagerly anticipate embracing these fresh perspectives and ideas as I engage with the diverse networking opportunities that Sweden has to offer.
As scholarship holders the students are introduced to the SI Network for Global Professional, an opportunity offered by SI to support the scholarship holders to make the most out of their time in Sweden. Today the network consists of 580 scholarship holders from universities all over Sweden. Johanna Lundin, Programme Manager of the network explains what is on offer:
– Network For Global Professionals is a competence-enhancing and capacity-strengthening program and network that aims to increase scholarship holders’ capacity to make a difference in their home countries. We also aim to build strong and long-lasting relationships between scholarship holders and we do this through different activities such as a leadership program, online sessions and networking activities. I look forward to the semester ahead and meeting the scholarship holders at our activities.
SI Scholarship for Global Professionals offers fully-financed scholarships for master’s studies in Sweden. It is a unique opportunity to develop professionally and academically, experience Swedish society and culture, and build a long-lasting relationship with Sweden and other global professionals. Read more about the scholarship here.