Scholarship Recipient: Jean-Claude Kamwenubusa

Bujumbura, Burundi.

Orphaned by the ethnic-based civil war that prevented him from attending school for several years, Jean-Claude never gave up on his dream of getting an education.

He is now studying at the University of Lake Tanganyika in Bujumbura, Burundi, where he is actively involved in ICT policy, e-Learning programs for rural communities, theater, film, radio, TV, and journalism. He expects to graduate in 2014 with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies.

Jean-Claude attending a friend’s graduation.

To help pay for his education, he teaches at Jeancka School in the Commune of Kamenge in Bujumbura.

Jean-Claude at Jeancka school where he teaches.

He also supports several charitable organizations and has served in various leadership positions at Iduka’s Jeancka University Chapter, United Nations Millennium Campaign in Burundi (UNMC), DiploFoundation, ABC4All, Global Youth Action Network (GYAN), and ASASS-Burundi that he founded in 2008.

Jean-Claude volunteering at ASASS-Burundi pharmacy.

Jean-Claude speaks 5 languages and enjoys learning about different cultures. He loves sports, playing the guitar and singing in his church choir.

Enjoying one of his passions – music!

We are very proud of his many accomplishments and are pleased to award him the “LinkedIn® Profile Completeness” service grant. With this scholarship he is well-positioned to seize one of Iduka’s “LinkedIn® Profile of Excellence” awards.

We wish you all the best!

Meeting in Bujumbura

This past Friday, February 4, 2012, members of the JEANCKA University Iduka Chapter, gathered in a classroom in Kamenge, Quarter of Mirango I in Bujumbura. Most participants were  students who recently participated in the IT & Computer courses offered by the École Technique Supérieur de Kamenge (ETS).

The meeting was convened to discuss, review, and submit to Iduka some of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) posed by students regarding the ongoing Iduka “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Drafting the questions... to be answered here soon!

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

How can I prevent my LinkedIn profile from being “published”?

“Is there a way to create a profile on LinkedIn but keep it from being “published” until you are finished with it? The reason I ask is that I would like my students to create and account so they can get started with the application process, but I don’t want their profile to “go public” until it is in good shape.” — Helena Rodrigues from Maputo, Mozambique.

Maputo, Mozambique *

You raise a good point! The short answer is that LinkedIn does not have a setting that will allow the students to block another member from viewing their profiles.

Once students create and account and start building their network, there is no way to prevent their connections from seeing their profiles. However, the public profile that appears when people search for their names on Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and others, can be edited from the profile Settings page to:

• Make it visible to everyone or no one in search engine results.
• Show only the basics like your name, industry, location, # of recommendations.
• Add or remove profile elements like a picture, current positions or education.
• Create a customized URL.

So, while you’re working with your students, you may want to keep their profiles more private by following these instructions:

1. Sign in to your LinkedIn account.
2. Click on the “Settings” link located under your name on the top right end corner of your profile home page.
3. Select the “Profile” settings tab.
4. Select “Edit your public profile”
5. Then choose the “Make my public profile visible to no one” radio button.

Make sure the students change their profile settings back to “Make my public profile visible to everyone,” once they complete their profiles. Otherwise, Iduka will not be able to evaluate and consider them for this scholarship challenge.

Good luck, and please don’t hesitate to keep on asking questions.

* Image source: Wikipedia. Image credit: Andrew Moir.

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

Scholarship documentation is now available in French and Portuguese!

“Can Iduka provide the scholarship documentation in our national languages?” — Jean-Claude Kamwenubusa, University of Burundi, Bujumbura

Jean-Claude Kamwenubusa, University of Burundi, Bujumbura

All documentation and technical support is available in English, French, and Portuguese. Unfortunately, we do not have any scholarship documentation available in Arabic or any other local African language. We feel confident that all post-secondary education students applying for our “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship, master at least one of these three major languages spoken throughout the African continent.

Currently, we only have available the Scholarship Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria in English, French, and Portuguese. We are planning to make the FAQ section available in these three languages soon. Please come back regularly for updates and more information on this scholarship initiative.

Documentation in English: Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria

Documentation in French: Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria

Documentation in Portuguese: Guidelines and Evaluation Criteria

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

What are the photo requirements?

“Is a photograph required when applying for the “LinkedIn® Challenge” scholarship? If so, what type of photo and how do students send their photos? ” — Olusola Bamidele George, Program Director at African Citizen’s Empowerment Foundation in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Nigeria Political Map (Source: Wikipedia)

Another good question from Olusola in the Sunshine State, Nigeria. To apply students must create and complete a LinkedIn profile. Part of getting to 100% completion is uploading a photo. Here is what students need to know when uploading a photo to their LinkedIn profile:

1. Upload a professional looking head-shot picture.
2. Preferred file type is a JPG, PNG, or GIF.
3. File size cannot exceed 4MB.
4. A good pixel size to avoid uploading issues should not exceed 500×500 pixels.

Still having problems uploading the photo? Try a different browser.

If students have problems uploading their photos after following the above tips, they should try using a different browser. For example, if using IE, try uploading the photo with Firefox. That seems to resolve this problem.

Very Important:

Please note that LinkedIn has a very rigid and straight forward Photo Policy. Students need to know that their profile photo can be removed by LinkedIn if their profile image is not their “likeness or a head-shot” photo. If LinkedIn removes a profile photo, students still have a chance to upload a different photo to remedy this situation. However, if LinkedIn removes a photo 3 times, students will no longer be able to upload another photo to their profile – and they will not be able to participate in this initiative.

To learn more about LinkedIn Photo Policy and User Agreement, please click here.

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

3 Questions About Recommendations

“What is the required format for Letters of Recommendation? Can Iduka provide a template students can use when requesting a Letter of Recommendation? How many Letters of Recommendation are students required to submit with their scholarship application?” — Olusola Bamidele George, Program Director at African Citizen’s Empowerment Foundation in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Olusola Bamidele George, Ondo State, Nigeria

Answer to question 1:

Students are asked to request Letters of Recommendation via LinkedIn and must follow LinkedIn’s guidelines. Requesting recommendations on LinkedIn is as simple as 1-2-3. For example, students can from their LinkedIn profile:

1. Choose the position under their Experience or Education section that they want to be recommended for.
2. Ask a direct contact on their LinkedIn network to endorse them.
3. Provide specific details to their endorsers.

Answer to question 2:

No. Iduka does not provide a form letter for recommendations. However, since students must submit their letters of recommendation via LinkedIn, they must follow LinkedIn’s guidelines when asking for a recommendation from their teachers, professors, and colleagues.

It is the responsibility of local Iduka Chapters to help their students provide endorsers with samples they can use as guidance. When asking for a recommendation, students should be prepared to provide specific details to their endorsers. Even though these are people they presumably know well, to be mindful of their time, it is a good idea to provide them with a sample they can customize. Unfortunately, at this time endorsers will not be able to recommend any volunteer position you list on your LinkedIn profile under the Volunteer section.

For an overview of how Recommendations work on LinkedIn, please click here.

Answer to question 3:

To be considered for this scholarship initiative, students must have at least 5 recommendations on their LinkedIn profile. However, they can request and post as many recommendations as they would like. An high number of solid recommendation will greatly enhance your chances of getting a scholarship. It is also important to note that LinkedIn recommendations can only be requested from student’s direct contacts on LinkedIn, and that endorsers can only recommend you as a Colleague, Service Provider, Business Partner or Student. Therefore, the number of possible recommendations students can attain is limited to the number of 1st degree connections of their LinkedIn network that can provide an endorsement of their skills and accomplishments at school and work place.

It is the responsibility of local Iduka Chapters to mentor their students on how to request a LinkedIn Recommendation.

To learn more on How to request a recommendation on LinkedIn, please click here.

Even though LinkedIn recommendations are not as formal as the traditional reference letters, we feel that they provide us with a more transparent way to vet our scholarship applicants.

A big thanks to Olusola and his team in Ondo State, Nigeria! We will soon post the other question you’ve sent us.

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!

What is the role of a local chapter?

“I’ve created a local Iduka Chapter in Tunisia and I’m glad to be part of this project. But now, I don’t know what I should do next. What is the role of my chapter in general, and my role as chapter president in particular? What can I do next?”

Rabeb Aloui, UNESCO Club Iduka Chapter, Tunis, Tunisia

Faculté des Sciences Humaines et Sociales de Tunis, Université de Tunis

What is the role of a local chapter?

Iduka Chapters are instrumental to the success of our program at the local level. The local Iduka Chapter is responsible for our local outreach campaigns and for making sure that all information from Iduka and the National Council is accurately disseminated to all students associated with the chapter.

To be a bit more specific, within the current context of the “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship, the local chapter is responsible for:

• Raising awareness about the scholarship and registering students;
• Providing training and mentorship to students applying for the scholarship.

Note: For a complete list of tasks and activities, please click here.

Chapters with more members will qualify for personalized trained sessions. These training sessions will cover the registration and application process, and will be scheduled according to each chapter overall membership ranking.

What is the role of the chapter’s President?

A chapter’s president serves as a liaison between Iduka and local students, as well as a link between the local chapter and the National Council.

A good chapter president will be proactive in planning and developing chapter activities that are aligned with current scholarship initiatives, awareness campaigns, and other Iduka regional projects.

Leadership training pertaining to the ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship will be provide to chapter officers. The chapter leadership will in turn be responsible to transfer that knowledge to their chapter’s members, particularly to those students who are applying for a scholarship.

Thank you, Rabeb for these two great questions!

Do you have a question?

Please send your questions with your picture or the picture of your school to iduka.chapters@gmail.com.

If your question is selected, we will feature it on this blog. This will help us create a comprehensive Frequently Asked Questions section for our ongoing “LinkedIn® Challenge” Scholarship.

Thanks in advance for your participation!