IDS alumn, Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada, is among global leaders featured in a photography exhibition opening in London on 14 March.
The free exhibition, ‘Changemakers: 35 visions of global leadership’, features 35 specially commissioned portraits of UK-educated leaders taken by photographers from all over the world. The images, accompanied by reflections on their time spent studying in the UK, demonstrate the strength and global appeal of UK higher education, along with the UK’s commitment to welcoming talented individuals from around the world.
Carlos Andrés Alvarado Quesada, Costa Rica graduated from IDS with an MA in Development Studies in 2008. In May 2018, at the age of 38, he was elected as the 48th President of Costa Rica in a landslide victory. His campaign was largely fought around issues of LGBTQ rights, including same-sex marriage.
Other leaders featured in the exhibition include Botswana’s youngest ever government minister; a Sundance and Emmy Award-winning filmmaker; the first female judge in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan; and a winner of the Commonwealth Young Person of the Year award.
Celebrating 35 years of Chevening Scholars
The exhibition celebrates the international ties forged through 35 years of the UK Government’s Chevening Scholarships programme.
Chevening was established in 1983 to help identify and develop future world leaders in a variety of fields. Since then, the programme has enabled 50,000 future leaders to transform their careers and their communities.
IDS and the University of Sussex has a long history of welcoming large numbers of Chevening scholars. 115 Sussex students are sponsored by Chevening for the 2018-19 academic year. These students represent more than 40 countries and study subjects across the University. This year Global Studies, the Science Policy Research Unit (SPRU), the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Education and Media have attracted the most scholars.
Louise Thomson, Head of Programme Management, said: ‘The spirit of 50,000 Chevening Alumni around the world is exemplified through our 35 changemakers.
‘From defending human rights, to campaigning for climate justice and countering extremism, those featured in our exhibition are diverse, but there is one thing that unites them: they have made the most of their UK education, and are using it to drive positive change in their home countries.’
Exhibition opening times
Changemakers is free to attend, and open every day between 14 to 17 March 2019 from 10:00 to 18:00 at Noho Showrooms, 67 Great Titchfield Street, London, W1W 7PT.