QS World Merit MBA Community Scholarship: 2022 winner: Constantin Zavvos

When I first decided to get involved in my community, I wasn’t planning on launching anything; I was just looking to help the visibly marginalised people within my community. The idea of starting a charitable association snowballed as I witnessed (through a volunteering role as a teacher) the growing number of people facing isolation, and the lack of available support.  

I discovered that a major source of this support – volunteers – had become increasingly difficult to attract and retain and I wanted to make it my mission to fix this.  

In doing so, I started a charitable association called TeachForBetter that attracts and matches volunteers with community charities. The main challenge was to reduce existing bureaucratic hurdles in volunteer recruitment, and increase the flexibility and visibility of volunteer opportunities, making the overall volunteering experience, from searching to working, more attractive, efficient and successful for both parties.  

TeachForBetter now attracts prospective volunteers organically on our website and has partnerships with universities and organisations for recruitment.  

Through my experiences travelling to different countries in Europe during my upbringing, for studies or more recently for work, I regularly was an outsider seeking a sense of belonging. I was, however, fortunate enough to have been supported by welcoming communities, which instilled a sense of confidence that enabled me to engage with people, and thereby achieve my goals.  

Recognising this, I’ve wanted to give back to the less fortunate communities. I realised that offering vulnerable or marginalised people a welcoming place to meet, collaborate and learn could provide them with the same opportunities for relationship-building and community participation that I experienced. 

I would say that you don’t need to start big. You should start where you can, in a sector of interest, and see where it takes you. I was in a similar situation, in which I didn’t know how to get my foot into London’s community development scene, and for months I struggled to find a basic volunteering role.  

But, with continuous research, cold emailing and calling, I secured my first role in a community organisation.  

I would suggest reaching out to your local community organisations, charities and city hall. You will find that most of these organisations will need volunteers even if they haven’t advertised it. One new volunteer can make a huge difference to an organisation and can really impact many people’s lives.  

Going further, you will find that building a rapport with organisations will help you understand the dynamics and issues that they face. This knowledge can help you form new ideas and eventually new and impactful initiatives within the sector.   

If you’ve had an impact in your community or if you have an interest in making a positive change in your community, you should apply to the Community Scholarship. Not only does it feel great to be rewarded for your community involvement, but the overall application is a powerful tool for introspection.  

To students who need advice, I would say: tell your story, and explain your ‘why’. Don’t be scared to be honest and vulnerable in your essay – this will help the readers get a sense of who you are and where your passion comes from.  

I would also say that it’s important to plan your application and essay thoroughly; try to be detailed and logical when explaining your community and MBA goals.