Meet the January intake winner of the SAP Scholarship for Women, Madalena Chaves. She is from Portugal and started her International Master in Management in January 2022 and was awarded the SAP Scholarship for Women combined with a full-time job position in Digital Sales after graduation.
Congratulations on her achievement!
We talked with Madalena Chaves and asked her about some tips that can be useful for the candidates applying for the scholarship for the October 2022 intake. Here is what she said.
How did you find out about this internship opportunity and what motivated you to apply?
I read about the scholarship SAP was offering at the moment I was doing my application for the master’s in EADA. When I sent my final application for the master’s, the admissions department also emailed me, informing me that it could be a good opportunity for a student like me.
When I decided to apply, Marta from the admissions department helped me with every detail, letting me know how I should do every step. I felt motivated to apply since I saw the offer on EADA’s website, so after talking to Marta, I started working on my application for the scholarship.
What was the process of applying for the SAP scholarship? Can you describe the requirements and what you needed to do? How long did the process take until you found out that you were awarded the scholarship?
The application process consisted of sending a one-minute video, in which I was supposed to present myself and explain why I consider myself a good investment for SAP. I decided to collect different videos of my life journey, where It was possible to see how I am, the things I like to do, and my daily routine. After collecting all the videos and editing them, I wrote a text that included my presentation, everything I wanted to tell about myself, and future projections.
When the video was ready, I sent it to the Admissions department.
A week later, Marta emailed me to congratulate me for being awarded, and put me in touch with SAP.
Could you give some tips to consider when making a personal presentation video?
For me, the most important thing to have in mind when making a personal presentation video is to portray myself, my routine, the things I enjoy the most doing, and my dreams and ambitions. My priority was to make sure that anybody who watched the video would be able to know me better than someone who read my curriculum. In terms of speech, clarity and determination are the most important factors to prioritize.
Do you remember the day when you received this great news? How did you feel when you found out that you were the winner of this scholarship?
I was at my job in Lisbon when Marta emailed me with this great news. It was an indescribable feeling of happiness and pride, knowing that a company as big as SAP considered me a talent to invest in. As I was in the office when I found out, my manager at the moment was the first person I told, which was amazing because she always supported me in the process of applying for the master’s and the scholarship.
What expectations do you have of your full-time job opportunity in SAP? Are you already in contact with the SAP Team?
I’ve been in touch with SAP since the day I was told that I was awarded. They have been very supportive during my master’s, and assigned me a mentor with whom I have monthly calls to talk about issues and challenges that I may face during the master’s. I consider this opportunity to learn with more experienced people life-changing.
I’m very motivated to visit SAP offices to learn more about their daily work and meet everyone.
What do you think about this initiative by SAP and EADA and the importance of increasing women’s employment in the digital economy?
This initiative between EADA and SAP represents a lifetime opportunity for students who want to take a master’s in a fine institution like EADA. I consider that the opportunity to be mentored and monitored by a company like SAP makes the master’s experience even better.
Investing in high potential women is an important, valuable, and needed initiative, of which EADA and SAP are excellent examples. Increasing women’s employment in the digital economy, as in other sectors, is an initiative that leads us to a better and more equal world and society.
For that reason, I would like to thank and congratulate EADA and SAP for providing me with this opportunity.
What advice would you give to future candidates that would like to apply for the SAP Scholarship programme? Some tips?
My first advice is to apply.
Even if it seems difficult or impossible to be awarded this scholarship, apply because it is possible and is an opportunity that does not arise every day.
After deciding to apply, I believe that taking time to prepare the presenting video is very important. Preparing a video in which you show how you see yourself, what you like, what are your dreams and ambitions, and how you can make a difference is what creates a positive impact.
After this step, the interview is the second and last opportunity to present yourself, and my advice is to keep being genuine, showing who you are. If you consider that this is the opportunity for you, certainly SAP and EADA will consider it too.