Learnwithbren™

Equity and Merit Scholarships for international master’s students The University of Manchester is committed to supporting a more equitable and sustainable future for all. Through our Equity and Merit Scholarships, we aim to empower talented individuals from the Global South to drive meaningful change in their home countries. There are 30 scholarships (20 for full-time study and ten for online study) available for a range of courses in engineering, environment, health sciences, global development, education and law. The scholarships cover full tuition fees, and for students who will be studying in Manchester, the award includes return international airfares, living expenses and visas. To apply for a scholarship, you must be a resident citizen of Ethiopia, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda or Zimbabwe. https://www.manchester.ac.uk/study/masters/fees-and-funding/masters-student-funding/equity-merit-scholarships/

Goldman Sachs Graduate Trainee recruitment 2027 Apply via: https://www.goldmansachs.com/careers/students

The Meristem Starlet Graduate Trainee Programme (MSP) 2027 for Nigerians - Minimum of a Second Class Upper (2:1) from a recognized university. - Must have completed NYSC. - Must be between 21 and 28 years old. Apply here: msp.meristemng.com

📣 Intern with FAO! Check out the latest opportunities in: ✅ Africa ✅ Asia and the Pacific ✅ Europe and Central Asia ✅ FAO headquarters ✅ Latin America and the Caribbean ✅ Near East and North Africa All open vacancies➡️ bit.ly/4fnijMU

Applications are now OPEN! Ready to take your academic journey beyond borders? The MMoCRA Project is now accepting applications for Master's and PhD scholarships under the Intra-Africa Academic Mobility Scheme, funded by the European Union. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to study at leading African universities while contributing to research that addresses some of the continent's most pressing challenges. Focus Areas • Climate & Energy • Digital Technologies • Critical Raw Materials • Agrifood, Climate & Energy 📅 Applications Open: 31 July 2026 ⏰ Deadline: 15 September 2026 at 5:00 PM (EAT) If you're passionate about advancing research, innovation, and sustainable development across Africa, this is your opportunity. Apply now: mmocra.com

Happy New Month, LearnWithBren Village Members! Welcome to August, our month of growth, bold steps, and new possibilities! 🚀 A new month means a fresh opportunity to learn, reflect, take action, and move closer to the vision you are creating. Celebrate your wins, embrace the lessons, and remember that every small step is building the leader you are becoming. This month, I challenge you to show up with curiosity, courage, and commitment. Keep asking questions, keep exploring new ideas, and keep investing in yourself. Your growth journey matters, and the impact you are preparing to make matters too. Let’s make August a month of intentional progress, meaningful connections, and breakthrough moments! Wishing you all a powerful, purpose-filled, and productive month ahead. Let’s keep learning, growing, and thriving together! 💙 — Bren

Saudi Aramco is recruiting experienced professionals!! ~Global energy industry leader ~Competitive salary & benefits ~Career devt opportunities ~International work envt. ~Cutting-edge technology & innovation Apply Now: https://www.aramco.com/en/careers

Thomas Merton’s wisdom got me thinking. He said, “People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning against the wrong wall.” https://medium.com/personal-growth/careers-are-collapsing-jobs-are-dying-the-smartest-people-are-doing-this-right-now-becc742dfee2

The Pulitzer Center seeks proposals for reporting projects on issues impacting communities in sub-Saharan Africa, including water, land degradation, education, maternal health, & climate resilience. Deadline: Rolling Details 👉 twp.ai/4htSpc

Are you ready to build your career with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)? Applications remain open for selected positions under the UNDP Africa Young Leaders Programme. Successful candidates will contribute to sustainable development projects across Africa. Benefits: ✅ Competitive salary ✅ Leadership development ✅ International exposure ✅ Mentorship ✅ UN work experience Who can apply? Applicants should: ✔ Be young African professionals ✔ Hold a Bachelor's or Master's degree ✔ Demonstrate leadership potential ✔ Meet the specific requirements of the advertised position Application Deadline: 🗓 Deadlines vary by vacancy. Apply through the official UNDP careers portal: jobs.undp.org⁠ Start your international development career today.

To Every Young Person Building Their Career: Document Your Journey This documentation will serve you when you apply for jobs, promotions, contracts, grants, fellowships, scholarships, visas, internships, residencies, competitions, R&D awards, entrepreneurial funding, research opportunities, speaking engagements and leadership positions. It will strengthen your confidence in rooms where you may be tempted to shrink or doubt yourself. Most importantly, documentation helps you tell your own story clearly, credibly, and without apology. Don’t rely on memory alone. Memory fades; evidence endures. https://moments-with-bren.medium.com/to-every-young-person-building-their-career-document-your-journey-5b6ead0d42fd

Feynman was one of the most original minds of the 20th century. A Nobel Prize winner. A physicist who rewrote how scientists visualise quantum interactions. He demanded to understand things from the inside out. By building from scratch. Tearing ideas apart and reassembling them in his own way. He once said, “What I cannot create, I do not understand.” He was willing to start from scratch when everyone else kept going back to the established way of learning as the only… https://medium.com/@thomas-oppong/this-is-feynmans-thinking-habit-it-made-him-a-genius-c79cfabaee7c?sharedUserId=moments-with-bren

May we not spend so much time waiting for permission that we forget we are capable of beginning. May we not allow fear of failure to become more powerful than the possibility of success. May we not allow the expectations of others to become the boundaries of our lives. May we not confuse familiarity with purpose or comfort with fulfillment. And may we remember that taking action does not always require a grand gesture. Sometimes it is one phone call. One application. One conversation. One class. One proposal. One courageous decision. One small step taken consistently can eventually carry us farther than we ever imagined. As we pursue our dreams, may we remember that success is not only about reaching a destination. It is also about who we become along the way. The person who learns to persevere is different from the person who began. The person who learns to trust themselves is different from the person who once doubted their abilities. The person who turns adversity into wisdom carries something valuable into every future chapter. May we therefore live boldly, intentionally, and purposefully, knowing that our lives are not meant to simply happen to us. We have a role to play in shaping them. We have choices to make. We have lessons to learn. We have contributions to offer. We have dreams worth pursuing. And we have lives worth showing up for. May we choose to participate fully in our own becoming. May we show up even when we are uncertain. May we take action even when we are afraid. May we begin again when we stumble. May we celebrate progress, not only perfection. May we remain open to new possibilities, even when life takes us in unexpected directions. And may we never settle for merely existing when we have the power to create, contribute, grow, and leave a meaningful mark on the world. Because at the end of our lives, perhaps one of the most important questions we will ask ourselves is not simply, "What did I achieve?" It may be: "Did I show up for my own life?" "Did I pursue the possibilities that were placed before me?" "Did I have the courage to become who I was capable of becoming?" May our answer be yes. May we be active participants in our own lives, courageous stewards of our potential, and intentional architects of the future we hope to build. May we not simply dream about the life we want. May we have the courage to live our way toward it.

Consider the case of an entrepreneur whose first business fails. From the outside, the failure may appear to be the end of the story. But the entrepreneur may see it differently. They may examine what went wrong, learn from the experience, develop new skills, and eventually try again with greater wisdom. The first attempt was not wasted. It became part of the education required for the next chapter. Failure, when we are willing to learn from it, can become information. Rejection can become redirection. A closed door can become an invitation to look for another entrance. A delay can become an opportunity to prepare. A setback can become a moment to reassess, rebuild, and begin again. This is why resilience is such an important part of pursuing our dreams. The journey will inevitably include moments when we question ourselves. There will be days when progress feels invisible. There will be times when others do not understand our vision or believe in what we are trying to accomplish. In those moments, we must learn to distinguish between a temporary setback and a permanent conclusion. One of the most powerful examples of this is the story of J.K. Rowling, whose manuscript for Harry Potter was rejected by multiple publishers before it was eventually accepted. Her experience illustrates an important truth: rejection does not always mean that the dream is wrong. Sometimes it simply means that the timing, circumstances, or audience have not yet aligned. We must also be careful not to measure our progress only by visible achievements. Sometimes the most important progress is happening internally. It is the courage to speak up after years of remaining silent. It is the decision to apply for the opportunity we once believed was beyond our reach. It is learning to say no to what diminishes us and yes to what helps us grow. It is choosing to begin again after disappointment. These moments may never appear on a resume or in a biography, but they are often the moments that change the trajectory of a life. Being an active participant also means taking ownership of our choices. We cannot always choose our starting point, but we can often choose our next step. We cannot control what others think of us, but we can decide whether their opinions will define our sense of possibility. We cannot guarantee success, but we can choose whether we will continue learning, adapting, and moving forward. This does not mean blaming ourselves for every challenge we encounter. Life is shaped by circumstances, systems, relationships, privilege, barriers, and opportunities that are not equally distributed. We must acknowledge these realities honestly. At the same time, recognizing the barriers we face does not require us to surrender our agency. Sometimes participation means finding a new path when the original one is blocked. Sometimes it means asking for help. Sometimes it means building community, seeking mentorship, advocating for change, or creating opportunities for ourselves and others. There is also a collective dimension to this idea. When one person chooses to pursue their potential, their decision can create possibilities for others. A young person who becomes the first in their family to attend university may inspire a younger sibling to believe that higher education is possible. A woman who steps into leadership may make it easier for another woman to see herself in that role. An entrepreneur who creates jobs can change the trajectory of entire families. A community leader who advocates for better policies can improve the lives of people they may never personally meet. Our lives are interconnected. The courage we demonstrate in pursuing our own dreams can become permission for someone else to pursue theirs. So, may we take ownership of our choices and make the most of the opportunities before us. May we also create opportunities where none exist. May we be willing to ask difficult questions, take calculated risks, seek wise counsel, and step outside our comfort zones when growth requires it.

Be an Active Participant in Your Own Life May we never be passive spectators in our own lives, but active participants in pursuing and achieving our dreams. Life does not always unfold according to the plans we make. There are seasons when we feel stuck, uncertain, overlooked, or afraid to take the next step. Sometimes we wait for the perfect opportunity, the right timing, the approval of others, or the confidence to finally begin. But the truth is that the perfect moment rarely arrives. At some point, we must decide to move forward with what we have, where we are, and with the courage we can gather in that moment. Being an active participant in our own lives means choosing to engage with our possibilities rather than simply observing them from a distance. It means asking ourselves, "What can I do with what I have today?" It means recognizing that while we may not control every circumstance, we can influence our response, our choices, our effort, and the direction in which we move. Consider the story of someone who has always dreamed of changing careers. For years, they tell themselves that they will make the transition when they have more money, more experience, more confidence, or more time. They remain in a job that no longer fulfills them, watching others pursue opportunities they secretly wish they had the courage to pursue. One day, they decide to take one small step. They enroll in a course. They update their resume. They reach out to someone in their desired field. They apply for one opportunity. That first step may not immediately transform their life. But it changes something important. They are no longer simply wishing for a different future. They are participating in creating one. Often, that is where transformation begins. Not with one dramatic decision, but with a series of small, intentional choices repeated over time. We can see this principle reflected in the lives of people who have achieved extraordinary things. Consider the journey of Oprah Winfrey. Her path to becoming one of the world's most influential media leaders was not defined by privilege or an easy beginning. She faced significant adversity and barriers early in life, yet she continued to pursue opportunities to use her voice and develop her talents. Her story reminds us that our circumstances may shape where we begin, but they do not have to determine where we finish. Or consider the story of Colonel Harland Sanders, who became the founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC). His most famous success came later in life, after years of working in different jobs and experiencing setbacks. His story is a reminder that there is no universal timeline for success. Sometimes we assume that if we have not achieved our dreams by a certain age, we have missed our opportunity. But life does not operate according to a single schedule. There is still room to begin, to reinvent ourselves, and to pursue something meaningful. The same is true in our everyday lives. Perhaps you have wanted to write a book but have never written the first page. Perhaps you have dreamed of starting a business but have spent years talking yourself out of it. Perhaps you want to return to school, develop a new skill, build healthier relationships, travel somewhere new, advocate for a cause, or step into a leadership role. The dream may be different for each of us, but the question remains the same: What are we doing with the possibility that has been placed in front of us? Our dreams require more than hope. They require action, discipline, resilience, and faith in the possibility of what lies ahead. Hope may give us a vision, but action gives that vision a chance to become reality. This does not mean that every dream will unfold exactly as we imagine. Sometimes the path changes. Sometimes the opportunity we wanted does not materialize. Sometimes we work hard and still experience disappointment. Being an active participant in our own lives does not mean controlling every outcome. It means refusing to surrender our agency simply because we cannot control everything.

Software Engineer Intern London (On-site) 3-6 months £50,000 (Pro Rata) Visa sponsorship is available for this role. We are looking for exceptional talent from anywhere in the world to join our team in London. https://arcticlake.com/careers/software-engineer-intern

Y Combinator is accepting applications for the Fall 2026 Batch funding cycle. The batch will take place from October to December in San Francisco. The deadline to apply on-time is July 27 at 8pm PT; if you apply before the deadline, you will get a decision by August 28. https://www.ycombinator.com/apply

Canada is seeking skilled professionals through these Express Entry categories: • health care and social services professionals • educators • tradespersons • professionals in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) occupations • professionals in transport occupations • medical doctors, researchers and senior managers with Canadian work experience • workers with French-language proficiency Find out how Express Entry category-based rounds of invitations work: bit.ly/3SX2ujF