Scholarships

• Kate Wynne

  

Kate Wynne

My name is Kate Wynne, I am 18 years old and live in a small village called Knockbridge just outside Dundalk, Co. Louth. I am the youngest of three children and I am the first to attend college. I am currently in my first year at Trinity College studying Business, Economics and Social Studies. College life has been very different but I have settled in very well. I have a strong interest in sports, and I have played Gaelic football at both club and County level. I am very lucky to have received this scholarship and I am very grateful for the opportunities it has opened up for me.

4th Year Report

I am in my final year at Trinity and the corporate scholarship has been a tremendous help throughout my time at college. It has helped in getting books and if I needed any extra help with some of my subjects. I also commute to college and the scholarship is a big help towards my travel expenses. This year has been both interesting and challenging. I have taken four modules, two business and two economics. The class sizes decreased this year and I felt it easier to participate in lectures. There was a mixture of both individual and group assignments this year, which were challenging at times. I found the module, Derivatives and International Finance the most interesting of the year. I especially enjoyed a six-week trading game that all students participated in as part of an assignment for the module. This year I joined the basketball b-team and attended training as often as I could. It was an enjoyable distraction from the academic side of college.

3rd Year Report

In my third year at Trinity I chose six modules including Management Accounting, Financial Accounting and Investment Analysis. I found these three modules both challenging and interesting and I have chosen my fourth year modules on the basis of these three. Financial Accounting was my favorite module in third year and this year I have continued the module by choosing Financial Reporting and Analysis. I am currently applying for graduate programmes in auditing and accounting for after college. Third year lectures were initially quite challenging however, they became less overwhelming as I settled into the year. In third year I joined the Trinity basketball ‘b’-team which was a great outlet to relieve the academic pressures of my course. I also continued to attend debates at the Phil society with my friends which always proved interesting and current.

2nd Year Report

Entering in to second year in Trinity was a little daunting knowing that I would now be doing nine modules instead of six in first year. However, I was very excited about the new challenges I was going to undertake throughout the year. During second year I got the opportunity to take new modules like accounting, finance and creative thinking and entrepreneurial action. I really enjoyed these modules. The lectures and assignments were both interesting and comprehensive. I especially enjoyed the group project work involved in the entrepreneurial module were we had to come up with our own business idea, and pitch it to the entire lecture hall and guest lecturers. This experience was very exciting and it gave me great confidence in going ahead with future projects. From taking part in group projects I also learned about cooperation and compromise in a business setting, which could be beneficial for my career later in life. During second year I became more comfortable in my surroundings at college and engaged in more activities with friends, like attending debates from the Phil society and plays held by Trinity’s own drama club.

I was delighted to be invited to the dinner where i got to meet Rory’s sister Alison and some of his friend’s which had shared some of their experiences from college. I was very grateful for this opportunity. I really enjoyed second year and the challenges it brought, being a beneficiary of the Trinity Access Programme and The Rory McDonagh Trust, has really has made college life easier, more enjoyable and rewarding.

1st Year Report

My first year in college started off a bit overwhelming However as the weeks moved on, I became more comfortable and my college work became easier and more manageable. During my courses I found that my interests were more towards the business and economics aspects of the course and for 2nd year I have chosen to pursue a joint honors degree in business and economics and so far I am really enjoying my subjects and the course work they involve. In my first year I joined the Trinity Gaelic team however I sustained a back injury playing with my club team so I’m hoping in the future I can get back and rejoin the Trinity Gaelic team again.

I really enjoyed my first year in Trinity and have been very fortunate to have had the help from the Trinity Access Programme which led me to the opportunity to receive this Scholarship which I am sincerely grateful for. I have found my courses very interesting and I am sure that business is the route I want to pursue as a career further in life.

• Ben Flood

  

Ben Flood

My name is Ben Flood. I am currently studying Business, Economics and Social Studies in Trinity College graduating in 2017. I have been associated with the Trinity Access Programmes since I participated in the ‘Pathways to Law Programme’ in 2010. My ambition is to ultimately practice law. Last year I completed a FETAC award in General Studies in Liberties College (Dublin). This course allowed me to successfully apply to Trinity as well as gave me a year to mature, being so young graduating from school at 16. I have always worked hard academically. I put my all into everything that I do. Two quotes come to mind when I think about studying at Trinity; ‘You have to dream before your dreams can come true’ and ‘If you take responsibility for yourself you will develop a hunger to accomplish your dreams.’ I strive to be the best I can be and these quotes help me to reach my high goals. I have the drive to not only complete this course through hard work and diligence, but to also make lifelong friends, create amazing memories and be able to give back after being given such great opportunities.

Interim 4th Year Report

I am delighted that I have been given an opportunity to finish my degree this year. It has been a long road but I know exactly where I am going. I am pleased with my module choices and the course content for the year. I am aiming for a first so that I have the greatest chance of fulfilling my plans. After I complete this degree, I will be applying to law schools in the states to be a practicing lawyer there. I have been working with an Irish-American immigration lawyer and she suggests that I work for a year first to show the banks that I could repay a student loan. This ties in perfectly with the fact that my employer offered me a part-time managerial role for while I am finishing my degree in college. While I am in college though, I am still working with the committees for the Mature Student Society and the Comedy Society. I am also continuing with my roles as a first year BESS mentor and a head mentor with Student2Student. I greatly appreciate all of the opportunities that I have been provided, I know that I wouldn’t be here without them.

Final 3rd Year Report

3rd year has come and gone and I am finally on the home stretch. I thoroughly enjoyed my time back in college this year and am eagerly awaiting my final year to commence. I managed to achieve more society committee positions that I am thrilled to begin come September including Chairperson of the Mature Students Society and a position with the Sign language society. I am also the first ever Dual Head Mentor with Student2Student, taking up the role of Mature Head Mentor and continuing on as the Social Sciences and Philosophy Head Mentor. On top of this, I will be keeping my roles as 1st year Mentor and General Officer of the Comedy Society. I believe that having a committee position with a society is so rewarding. It increases your social circles and helps personal development in a less academic atmosphere. I am so very thankful for all of the support that I have received over the years as I know this would not be possible without it. This is one year that I will not soon forget.

Interim 3rd Year Report

I spent the last year “off books” from college and worked full time. However, I did keep up with my societal duties. I remained a mentor for first years as well as a head mentor with Student2Student. I also managed to continue to be an ambassador for the Trinity Access Programmes, partaking in secondary school visits. A lot of my college experience last year was with the comedy society though. As the general officer, I helped arrange a lot of our freshers week events and yearly gigs. Whilst I did enjoy my time off, I am thrilled to be back and am looking forward to seeing what third year has in store for me.

2nd Year Report

Second year has been an amazing experience for me, mainly the result of exciting modules, great lecturers and society involvement. My favourite modules were Operations Management and of course, Aspects of Irish Law in a European Context. Operations Management was something extremely new for me. Then we look at my law module which, while the teaching methods and class atmosphere were the same, the course content kept me on my toes. Unfortunately, I did have to work outside of college for most of the year but I tried not to let it affect me. I continued to be a TAP (Trinity Access Programme) Ambassador, spreading the TAP message to schools all over Dublin. I was also a Here2Help member and an S2S (Student2Student) mentor for first years. Thanks to my work this year, I will not only continue mentoring first years, but I will also be a head mentor for the Social Sciences and Philosophy area in Trinity College. Lastly, I was elected as the General Officer for the Comedy Society so I will have an entirely new venture for the coming year. I wholeheartedly look forward to continuing my journey in Trinity College. My experiences learning, both inside and outside of the classroom, have allowed me to grow in more ways than I could have ever imagined.

1st Year Report

I still remember my very first day. The sheer terror going from a class of 15 to a class of over 400 is something I shall not forget soon. Looking back on the year, it was certainly fraught with challenges, all of which were overcome. My first year in Trinity was, quite frankly, the only time I remember ever being excited to wake up on a Monday morning and it was because I had double Law at 9am. I got off to a slow start during my exams and was definitely distracted. Luckily I was able to pull it together by my last exam. If you put in the work throughout the entire year and keep your notes together, then studying becomes second nature, or maybe that was just me. Next year I will be jumping from 6 modules to 9 modules, including Accounting, Finance and Intermediate Economics. However, I am most looking forward to studying Aspects of Irish Law in a European Context.
Trinity College has done a lot for me and so I love to give back. Last year I became a Trinity Access Programme and spoke to secondary school students about my college experience and how I got to university. I plan to continue on with this in my 2nd year. I am also going to be a “Student2Student” mentor.

• Brendan McDonnell

  

Brendan McDonnell

My name is Brendan McDonnell and I have just started my studies in Trinity College Dublin, doing Business Economic and Social Studies. I am from Meath and I am the first person in my family to go to university. I am still undecided on my future career path once I complete my four years here but I have a deep interest in business, so I know that this is the right course for me. I am a strong believer that anybody has the potential to be just as good or even better than the next person, so I am committed to succeed both academically and socially at my time at Trinity. I am extremely grateful for the many opportunities which this college has given me so far and excited for what my time here has in store for me. Because of this I will do my utmost to succeed and give back as best as I can.

4th Year Report

This is my final year receiving the scholarship and without it I may not have been able to achieve what I have today. This year was my most challenging year yet and by having the scholarship a huge financial weight has been lifted and allowed me to continuously focus on my studies. Due to the current rental crisis in Dublin, most of the scholarship went towards paying for rent. I still had to work part time during the college year but this gave me some flexibility in the number of hours I had to work each week. It was not just the financial gain, from the scholarship, that contributed to my achievements in my final year, it was also the network and professional advice I gained from the scholarship that help prepare me for a career after college. The donor of the scholarship was extremely helpful in giving the career advice that I needed to achieve after my time at Trinity. In reflection, at my time in Trinity, I have achieved a lot that I would not have thought would have been possible. Because of the support that TAP has provided me, it has motivated me to give back whenever I can to those that need help. Now that I have completed life at TCD, I would like to give back everything that I have received in any way I can. I know that at this time I am unable to contribute financially, but I would love to get involved with the trust in any way I can as it is something I am truly grateful for. I cannot give you enough thanks to the Trust for all that you have done for me throughout the past four years. Your support and advice have opened up many doors for me.

Third Year Report

Third year brought new and exciting modules for me to engage with. My business modules allowed me to realise what career path I wanted to take. My corporate finance and investments modules helped me decide what modules to take up next year and opened me up to a career in the finance industry. Along with the academic life, I also put a lot of work into societies. I was appointed to the position of Secretary in Trinity College Card Society and it will be exciting to see what opportunities and experience I will gain next year. I also devoted a lot of my time for the Trinity Access Programme (TAP). I started off the year by mentoring incoming TAP students about my experiences at Trinity through the pre-university orientation programme. It was rewarding to help students who were in my position before I started college. I also visited various secondary schools to help deliver the “college for every student” programme to help young people gain access to college. I am fortunate for my scholarship and the assistance it has provided me, as without it college would not be financially viable for me. It has given me the opportunity of an education and eased my financial difficulties.

2nd Year Report

The Rory McDonagh Trust was extremely useful to me this past year. The rental crisis that was plaguing Dublin meant that without this scholarship I would have no longer been able to afford a roof over my head and I will be grateful my entire life.Starting back at Trinity was exciting as I got to face many new challenges and specialise within my Business and Politics courses. Throughout the year I was able to enhance my knowledge and grow my understanding through new and interesting modules such as finance, marketing, comparative politics and international relations. At first it was difficult to manage the increase in my workload from first year but after maturing and learning some self-management I became more confident in my work and career opportunities.

During the year I increased my involvement within Trinity Access Programmes (TAP) by taking on the role of an ambassador. This role required me to visit partnering schools delivering information on the benefits of and access to third level education to young people of socio-economic disadvantaged areas. This experience has opened my eyes to the benefits and need for access programs like TAP to certain individuals. I am very grateful for the opportunities and aid that the Rory McDonagh Trust provides me. Without it my experiences within Trinity would not be as rewarding.

1st Year Report

My first year at Trinity is a year which I will not forget. At first it was overwhelming moving from a class of twenty at school to a class of over three hundred at college. Lucky as weeks went on I adapted to college life and I felt more comfortable and it was easier to manage my work load. I loved every aspect of my course and enjoyed studying my subjects. For my second year I have chosen to focus on joint honours Business and Political Science. First year exams went well for me because I put the work in from the start of the year and kept my notes organised which made the exams easier to study for at the end of the year. I loved living in Trinity Hall for first year and I would recommend it to anyone thinking of applying to Trinity College. It created a friendly learning atmosphere and I made many friends because of it. I really enjoyed my first year at trinity and it would not have been possible with out the help from the Trinity Access Programme and the connection it gave me to The Rory McDonagh trust. Undoubtedly this scholarship has made a positive impact on my college life and will aid me during the next few years at Trinity College Dublin.

• Alice Neville

  

Alice Neville

Hi! My name is Alice. I’m from Listowel Co.Kerry. I am 20 years old and in my first year of college. I am studying Business, Economics and Social Studies at Trinity College Dublin. I love the course and look forward to specialising in the Business side of things. Business is my passion and I hope to work in that area in the future.

I am big into sport! I love Gaelic football and I play football with my local club “Listowel Emmets” which is a great team. I have also played for Kerry at underage level and have won an All-Ireland with them which was a very proud moment for me! I am delighted to have been awarded this scholarship as it will go a long way in helping me through my academic year and it takes a lot of financial worries away.

2nd Year Report

I cannot believe I am in third year already! Time is flying by for me at Trinity. I started off Second year last year mentoring incoming first years to BESS which I enjoyed as it wasn’t too long ago that I was in their shoes and I was glad that to be of help to them. During my second Year, I got to do a lot of group work as part of my assessment which I loved as I got to know more people in my course. Last year also helped guide me in my module choice for this year as areas I thought I wanted to specialise in were not what I expected and subjects I thought I would not like were the ones I ended up loving and picking to specialise more in this year. I am very fortunate to be receiving this scholarship and appreciate it, as it is going a long way in helping me through my college years.

1st Year Report

My first year at Trinity has been one to remember. I was lucky enough to get college off to a good start and have met some amazing people. I guess I was that bit older going back to college but it really payed off. I had some doubts and nerves at the start but once I settled in I really felt at home. I found my course really suited my interests and I have decided to pursue a single honours degree in Business with Economics and Law as my complements. I see myself in Business in the future so I look forward to the years to come. My scholarship went a long way in helping me through my first year. I really appreciate it and count myself very lucky. The Trinity Access Programme team have been a great support and I look forward to being able to give back to them. For my second year I am going to be a mentor to incoming first year students and I hope that I can share my experiences with them and help them along the way.

• Ailish Power

  

Ailish Power

I am Ailish Power, a first year Business and Spanish student at Trinity College Dublin.

I moved to Gaeltacht na Déise from New York when I was three years old, and I completed my primary and secondary education there through Irish. Growing up in the Gaeltacht has influenced my a lot as a person, for example I love singing Irish Sean-Nós songs and playing Gaelic Football. Being fluent in Irish has also made learning Spanish much more enjoyable for me. I am extremely excited about spending my third year in Spain and fully embracing and absorbing the language and the culture.  It was daunting moving away from home, being the first one to leave, but Dublin city and the entire college experience has made me mature and I am so grateful to be receiving this education and this incredibly useful scholarship. I am immensely looking forward to commencing and building a career in International Business for myself

4th Year Report

My name is Ailish Power and I’m in my final year of my Business Studies and Spanish bachelors degree. I’m studying a wide range of modules this year, including Company Law, Managing New Product Development, Social Innovation, Strategic Management and Spanish grammar. I also have a final year project which will be completed in Spanish, and I have chosen the energy company Endesa as the basis of this project. This year is as busy as previous years, but I couldn’t be more grateful to be at the finishing line. This scholarship is a big reason I’ve gotten this far, and I would like to thank the McDonagh family for all their support over the years. Thank you.

3rd Year Report

This year I had the amazing fortune of being able to go to Madrid on Erasmus for the duration of the year. My scholarship made this year abroad possible for me. I have found this year academically challenging as all of my classes have been through Spanish, and I’ve found the university’s culture to be too relaxed and unaccommodating for my liking. However this has been one of the best years of my life. Absorbing the culture of Madrid has been enlightening and I’ve found getting to know people from all around the world and practising my Spanish at various language exchange meetings really enjoyable. My younger sister started college this year and thanks to this scholarship my parents could focus on her instead of me, and so much financial pressure was taken off me while I was away. I am so grateful for this. The scholarship has truly made my life a million times easier and it inspires me to succeed in order to be in the position to do the same for others in the future. A sincere thanks again.”

2nd Year Report

I’m currently interning at State Street Corporation in the Investment Management Services department in Boston, MA as part of the Summer Internship Program. It’s really interesting as I’m learning a lot about middle office financial services and all the work that’s done behind the scenes of trading. I believe that it’s really important to have an understanding of the services provided to Investment Managers and Custodians if embarking into a career in Financial Services. I’m also preparing to move to Madrid in the beginning of September for two semesters of Erasmus, which I’m ecstatic about. I’m extremely eager to improve my fluency in Spanish and embrace the culture in the art capital of the world. The second year was a very productive time for me. I took really versatile classes which gave me a well-rounded basis education of Business. I’m certain that the information I learned in the classes I took in the second year will stand to me not only in my career, but when making personal financial decisions in the future. This scholarship has been so useful for me and I’m so grateful that I have the support of this organization and the people behind this organization during this time in my life. Thank you.

 

1st Year Report

I’m currently in my second year of Business Studies and Spanish at Trinity College Dublin. I found my first year in college extremely interesting and rewarding. I lived in Trinity Halls which was an incredibly enjoyable experience and I loved taking part in all of the events they had to offer. I found my modules challenging but interesting and I feel like I’ve come a long way this past year. I interned for a month this summer at Chapdelaine and Co. and I feel like not only did it give me a wonderful insight into the world of investment banking but it helped me shape my own career path. I’m very grateful for this scholarship as it makes a tremendous difference and keeps me focused on college and my career. I am loving my second year so far as I find my modules even more interesting than last year as we move on from the introductory modules and go into more detail. I am incredibly excited about my classes next semester, as well as my Erasmus next year in Spain. Thank you immensely for this opportunity.

• Robert Allen

  

Robert Allen

My name is Robert Allen.  I’m 18 years old from Sligo and have recently begun studying Business, Economics and Social Studies in Trinity College.  While I wasn’t sure which career path I would go down later in life, I chose B.E.S.S because of my fascination with the world of business and to study at Trinity College was an ambition I worked hard towards achieving.  These past few months went by extremely quickly, but presented me with an insight into college life and I feel as if I have settled in well.  I believe I am an ambitious person and coming to Trinity I have found that I am surrounded by many like-minded individuals who all want to succeed in life. I committed to achieving academic success at Trinity and am excited to see what my future holds, in college and afterwards.  I am very thankful to have received this scholarship and will try my best to make good use of it.

4th Year Report

Finishing university is a bittersweet feeling. After spending four years at Trinity, it was difficult to ignore the sense of attachment I had when it finally came time to leave. Despite these initial reservations, I’ve enjoyed my brief amount of time in the working world and am determined to build on my successes at university.

I’m currently working with Top Hat, an educational technology company based in Toronto whose objective is to enable active learning in higher education. My role as a Business Development Representative is to liaise with professors in universities such as University of Toronto and to schedule demonstrations of our in-class tool.

University has equipped me with vast foundational knowledge. But I’ve found that much of the value university provides is often not the information itself, instead it comes from the habits and behaviours that become built up over time. Patience, hard-work and open-mindedness were all crucial to attaining a 2.1 grade in fourth year, and I’ve tried to leverage these characteristics in my current position.

The importance of initiatives like the No Mind Left Behind cannot be stressed enough. They are invaluable for families who are struggling financially, and I am sincerely grateful for the opportunities that the Rory McDonagh trust have allowed me to pursue. I hope to give back in a similar way and grant those same opportunities to someone else in the future.

3rd Year Report

This past academic year has been eye-opening in a variety of ways. Last year, I discovered the general areas of both Business and Sociology that I was interested in. This year I’ve begun to understand the benefits of studying each module in detail and, crucially, in tandem with each other. I’ve found it useful to take theories and models from one module and then apply these to a variety of other modules. For instance, in Consumer Behaviour the decision-making processes of consumers can overlap with the decision-making processes of employees, as studied in Human Resource Management. I’ve found that applying the knowledge I’ve learned in the past to an unknown problem can make the learning process much faster and easier. Aside from academics, I’ve grown considerably as a person. Coming to Trinity as a socially introverted person, I did not expect to form the strong friendships I currently have or develop the social skills that have made me the confident person I am today. This transition is a testament to the wonderful environment at Trinity, as well as the value of trying new things and finding people who share the same interests and passions as you do. Being the secretary of Trinity Card Society has taught me invaluable organisational and social skills derived from the work we put in as a committee. Working as a poker dealer has given me insight into the workings of a real-world business, giving me clear examples that I use to help me understand the theories I’ve learned in business modules. It has also taught me the value of money and hard work. I’m truly grateful for this scholarship, as it ensures I spend less time working and more time focusing on academic and non-academic challenges that are part of college life.

Second Year Report

My second year in Trinity was full of new experiences and challenges. After studying a broad range of subjects in first year, I looked forward to focusing on Business and Sociology in particular. I found the modules within Business such as organisational behaviour and creative thinking to be enjoyable and interesting, while accounting and finance were quite challenging. The Sociology modules were an opportunity to discuss contemporary social movements and the theories behind them, which I’m fascinated by. I’m happy to be continuing with both of these subjects in third year and have chosen modules within each of them that reflect my interests, such as social entrepreneurship and human resource management. Outside of college I continued to work part time and while being slightly stressful, it allowed me to meet new co-workers and appreciate the value of hard work. The Rory McDonagh Trust is a financial aid that has enabled me to fully experience college life here at Trinity, something which I am truly grateful for.

1st Year Report

It’s safe to say that I will never forget my first year at Trinity College. I didn’t know what to fully expect before I came to Trinity, but after just a couple of weeks I found it surprisingly easy to settle into college life. I found BESS to be a very interesting course to study overall. Studying one subject such as Sociology can often overlap with another subject, for example Political Science. Comparing these areas of study and exploring their relationship with each other is very fascinating in my opinion. I chose to focus on Business and Sociology in my second year as they interested me the most and were my strongest subjects. As well as having excellent educational facilities, Trinity also has a great social atmosphere. I feel very lucky to have had the chance to live in Trinity Hall for my first year. I could easily meet other people with similar interests and I’ve made some friends for life. In my second year I intend to work hard and continue my degree to the best of my ability. I feel very fortunate to have received this scholarship. It has allowed me to fully enjoy my time here at Trinity College and I am very grateful for it.

• Daire Hennessy

  

Daire Hennessy

Hi, my name is Daire Hennessy. I’m 18 years old and I’m from Tallaght, Dublin. I’m a first year student studying Business, Economics and social studies. I’m interested in sport and I like to stay active. My biggest passion is volunteering with my local youth club. These first few months of college have been challenging, adapting to a new system and a new way of doing things. However, these first few months have also been exciting, making new friends and finding greater independence. I really look forward to the rest of my time in Trinity. I am very grateful for receiving this scholarship and I will try to make the best possible use of it!

4th Year Report

Final year ended very different than I originally imagined. We finished up our final assessments at home during lock down and didn’t have the chance to say goodbye too many of our classmates as campus closed in March. Nonetheless, 4th year was a great part of my Trinity experience. I had the chance to do some really interesting modules like Human Rights and Game Theory. Alongside my classes I continued to work in Citywise Education, a
charity based where I live, which was a huge support in helping me to get to college in the first place. I’m now continuing on their full-time while I study for my Masters degree in Social Policy in Trinity College. I’ve enjoyed my time in Trinity so much and have met so many great people, so I think it makes sense that I’m not leaving just yet. Sometimes I still can’t believe how privileged we all are at Trinity to be members of such a great community and I know that this scholarship enabled me to be part of it, contribute to it and to make the most of my time in Trinity. I’ve had so many great opportunities as a result of it and my time in Trinity and I’ll always be grateful.

3rd Year Report

College has been an amazing experience so far. I’ve learned so much, both in the classroom and through the societies I’m involved in. I realise that I’m very lucky to be in this position heading into my final year of college as many people don’t get the same opportunity. This scholarship has not only made it easier to remain in college but also ensures I can make the most of the experience. 3rd year was busy. My modules took a step up and I tried to stay involved in college life as much as I could. I ran to be president of the Student Union and although I was unsuccessful, I learned a lot from the experience and was humbled by the support I received. I also got involved with Enactus, the social entrepreneurship society on campus and won a place on an incubator programme with Citi bank. I was chosen as part of the pitching team for the national competition where we won first place. We then travelled to Silicon Valley to represent Ireland at the Enactus world cup where we made the last 16 rounds. I also stayed involved as much as I could with Trinity Access and even had the opportunity to travel to Oxford University to speak about my experience of college and access in the education system. I know that without this scholarship, this wouldn’t be possible, and I am hugely grateful.

2nd Year Report

Academically, this year has been interesting and really engaging as I chose to focus on economics and politics. However, there have also been so many great things going on in college more generally this year! I started the year being a student mentor for incoming first years, showing them around, helping them to settle in and supporting them throughout the year. I was also able to be more involved as an ambassador for the Trinity Access Programmes. With TAP, I gave campus tours to second level students and took part in some mentoring with young people. It was great to potentially be a part of someone’s journey to college. At the beginning of the year I was also elected as one of my class representatives in the students’ union. This was a role I really enjoyed and learned a lot from. At the end of the year I was elected a part-time officer in the students’ union, representing access students. Outside of college I continued my work in my community with Citywise Education Centre, as a volunteer teacher and youth leader. There, I was also made the chairman of the youth steering committee. This work has been the most rewarding both personally and in terms of what I learned from the experience. I’m currently looking forward to traveling to Vietnam this summer to teach English as part of the Global Awareness programme, taking part in educational programmes at home and abroad to promote the importance of education for all. My time in Trinity has been, and continues to be amazing! I am loving every minute of it! My scholarship and TAP make this possible and for that I am extremely grateful.

First Year Report

My first year of college has been amazing. At first it was overwhelming moving from school to college. As time went on I adapted to college life, I felt more and more at home in Trinity. I loved every aspect of my course and enjoyed studying all of my subjects. My contact hours for college still left time to continue with other interests. This meant that I could continue volunteering in my local youth club, although not directly part of my course, I learned so much from this experience. I found new interests throughout college and to my surprise I’m going to study Economics and Political Science in second year. By the end of the year I ran for a part-time position in the student union. Although I wasn’t successful, it was a great experience and one that left me excited for second year! This scholarship has been a fantastic opportunity, allowing me to focus on my course and to enjoy college to its fullest. I am so grateful for this opportunity.

• Madina Tembulatova

  

Madina Tembulatova

My name is Madina Tembulatova. I am a Chechen who was born in Ukraine. I moved to Ireland as programme refuge at the age of 7. I went to Hartstown community school after I graduated I was few points of on receiving a place in third education. I was accepted into a Trinity Access Program in Liberties College. I received distinctions in all of my modules and got a place offered in Business, economics and social studies at Trinity College. I am the first person ever in my family to go University. I am fluent In four languages and also I studied Irish and Spanish in school. My biggest achievement so far is getting into Trinity. I am looking forward to studying my course and to achieving academic success. I am a highly self-motivated and ambitious individual. I am very honoured to have received this scholarship, this has motivated me even more in my studies and by doing so I want to inspire others.

4th Year Report

I have completed my final year of study. I am so grateful to have had an opportunity to study in one of the top colleges in Ireland. Throughout my time in Trinity College I have gained fundamental knowledge in many areas from politics to development economics. More so, to keep myself busy over the summer I was given an opportunity to work as a research assistant in the department economics.

I am furthering my studies by undertaking a master’s degree because I feel like it is important for individuals in life to keep learning new things as it helps us grow and there is no such a thing as excess knowledge. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone how has supported me on my journey in completing my degree, especially the McDonagh scholarship which helped alleviate my financial burdens.

3rd Year Report

Third year by far had been the toughest academic year for me, with 6 modules and a lot of independent work. However, the variety of modules gave me a sense of what I’d like to do when I graduate. For one of my modules I was able to do a research project on the topic “Are men stronger than women to take on sporting activities or are women just too lazy to try?”. Working on a project like this opened me up to the world of academic research, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

I also got involved in the college societies. I was a treasure for Muslim Student Association (MSA) and helped to organize our annual charity dinner event, which was really successful, we raised €5,000 which will be used to sponsor an orphan throughout the next 10 years.
At the end of the year I had the opportunity to apply for an internship in the economics department. I worked with a professor on the topic ‘Savings groups in Africa’ during summer. My task consisted of doing literature reviews based on the topic which I really enjoyed.

Overall, third year was a demanding but insightful year. I am looking forward to my final year of college.

2nd Year Report

Going into second year I felt more relaxed than going into first year. The modules this year were studied in greater detail compared to last year. I really enjoyed studying the economy of Ireland in the second semester where the lecturer talked about the role of economics in everyday life, topics such as taxation and pension system. However there were some modules such as statistics that were a little bit more challenging. I was able to partake in different societies in Trinity. I became involved in the art society and the Muslim Student Association (MSA). I took part in organising events. One of the events which was hosted by the MSA was a charity dinner and auction where two orphans were being sponsored for a period of ten years. The sponsorship included providing children their basic necessities and also providing in terms of helping them continue in their studies and give them the ability to go onto studying in a university. This reminded me of the McDonagh scholarship which I have been offered and I felt grateful for the financial help which has been provided to me through the scholarship. By partaking in the charity event I felt like I was giving back. Overall, I really enjoyed second year in contrast to first year I was more settled into the college life and had a structure that I was following.

1st Year Report

First year began intense, studying such a broad course like BESS with a range of subjects made settling into first year difficult. At the start of the year it was hard to settle down as there was a lot to the course and I didn’t know where and how to start studying or keeping up to date with my revision but as the year progressed I found my way. I started to enjoy studying BESS as it helped me to make up my mind on what I really like and were my interest lay. The modules that I’ve chosen for second year are economics and sociology. I fell in love with economics this year. It was an eye opener of how people, markets and more broadly the world around us operates. In sociology I learned about various theories which provided a different view other than the economic one to view people and society, I believe these two modules are suit each other very well and this is an area where I see myself in the future. The scholarship had a great impact on my life. I was able to concentrate on my studies and not worry about having a job while in college. As first year ended I did end up getting a job, developing communication skills as well as learning how to manage time efficiently. I look forward to starting second year in economics and sociology, and experiencing more of college life.

• Jennifer Eagers

  

Jennifer Eagers

4th Year Report

I never thought I would say this, but I am now in my final year at Trinity College Dublin. Unfortunately, I spent the last year and a half of my college degree studying online because of Covid-19 circumstances. However, with the help of my scholarship I have been able to really focus on my studies this year and I am happy to say that I am currently on track to achieve my overall goal of a first. Throughout my time in college, I have always had a keen interest in business and marketing so this year I applied for the Facebook Blueprint Digital Marketing exam outside of college. This is a programme generally taken by master level students. However, with the help of Trinity Business School I have been awarded the opportunity to study Facebooks digital marketing course and become Blueprint certified.

My time throughout TCD has been eye opening and I am extremely grateful to have made so many friends along the way. Writing this now I still cannot believe how quickly my time in TCD has gone by, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. The McDonagh family and trustees have supported me for four years now and I would just like to say how grateful I am. I would not be where I am today without your support. The Rory McDonagh trust is such an amazing programme and the support you provide is truly remarkable. I will never be able to express how helpful this scholarship has been for me. Thank you again for this opportunity!

3rd Year Report

I have thoroughly enjoyed my third year at Trinity College. This year provided me with the opportunity to study subjects such as contemporary marketing, investments, social stratification, and consumer behavior. I found this year interesting as not only did I get the opportunity to study subjects more in depth but also apply the information I learned in my first and second year of college to my third-year modules. The subject I found most challenging this year was financial accounting. Marketing has been by far my favorite subject this year. Therefore, I decided to focus mainly on marketing when choosing my final year subjects. I am also currently applying for business related graduate programs, I hope to pursue a career in marketing or consulting when I graduate.

Aside from college, I am still involved in camogie. For the second year in a row now I have successfully made it into the women’s senior camogie team semi-finals. I cannot put into words how much this scholarship has helped me this year, I am still truly grateful and fortunate to have been awarded this scholarship. I would really like to thank the McDonagh family and trustees for supporting me over the past three years. It has really eased my
financial struggles and has allowed me to enjoy college. Overall, third year has been a busy but very enjoyable year. I really look forward to starting final year in the coming weeks.

2nd Year Report

This year I decided to study both Business and Sociology as I really enjoyed studying these modules in my first year at Trinity. During this year I got the opportunity to study both modules more in depth. This allowed me to study modules such as Finance, Accounting, Marketing, Globalisation, Social theory and Social research, some of which I found challenging, but all were very interesting and enjoyable.
This year involved a lot more group work assessments which I really enjoyed as it allowed me to meet more people in my course and has helped me to make a lot more friends.

I am still very involved in sports outside of college, this year I have managed to make it to a camogie final. Without the scholarship I don’t think I could have managed to participate as much in sports as well as focuses on my studies, all of which I am very grateful for. I am still very fortunate to be receiving the McDonagh grant, it has helped me so much the past two years. It has allowed me to continue participating in sports and has helped me to experience college life to the fullest.

1st Year Report

I have been doing well in my first year of college and have been achieving really good results throughout my continuous assessments. Some of my results include scoring 86 marks in my Economics and 60 marks in my Sociology and Politics continuous assessment. I have been working really hard and I am very happy with the results I have achieved. One of the things I found most difficult was standing up in front of the class and presenting. However, as the year went on and we did more presentations I began to feel more comfortable standing up and presenting. I am really involved in sports. This scholarship has helped me to be able to continue playing Camogie and not have to worry about financial problems and has enabled me to support myself instead of having to rely on my family. With the scholarship I bought a laptop to complete my assignments at home and a bike to help get in and out of college. The scholarship also went towards buying college materials such as books and stationary. I have really enjoyed my time studying at Trinity and have loved studying the variety of subjects my course has offered me. I have really taken a liking to Business and Sociology and I hope to study them in my second year at Trinity.

• Ruan Peralta Dos Santos

  

Ruan Peralta Dos Santos

4th Year Report

My 4th and last year of my Bachelor’s Degree at Trinity can be described in one word: Unpredictable. However, it definitely helped with building up my professional abilities and my character. It was unpredictable because it took a lot from me, more than I expected, but on the other hand, it was amazingly challenging! I kept myself motivated throughout the year even with a pandemic going on around me. The online classes weren’t easy to adapt to at first, however after a while, I began to enjoy the opportunity of living at home once again with my family for a while. In March 2021, I finished my Final Year Case Study, a 10,000 words essay written fully in the French language. The journey was long. So many hours went into the preparation of this case study. I can’t believe I’ve made it this far! I have completed my classes and I couldn’t be more excited for my future. The education I received at Trinity College Dublin was exceptional and I’m proud to say I’ll soon be a Trinity Graduate. I can’t forget to mention the scholarship! It was a huge help throughout the years and it definitely eased my financial worries. It helped me to focus on my studies rather than on financial problems. I am forever grateful for this scholarship and hope to meet the McDonagh family once again and thank them in person f

3rd Year Report

My third year in Trinity was one for the books as it was my Erasmus Year Abroad. I had dreamt of this year since I entered secondary school and began to find out all the possibilities about my time in university. I went to Grenoble, France and spent 7 months (should have been 9, however under the Covid-19 circumstances we are living in, my year was cut short) studying in Grenoble École de Management, a very prestigious Business university in France. This University was a dream come true. From the moment I stepped in it I knew that it would be a great year. I learned so much and made so many great friends. Being honest, the first few months were tough. The language barrier, not knowing anyone and the culture shock took me by urprise. However after 2 or 3 months there, I settled in nicely and life had gone back to normal, or dare I say “better than normal”. My level of French is now 10x better as all my classes were done in French. So basically I was forced to get better in French, which was exactly what I needed: a Push. Some classes were harder than others, some to point I thought I wouldn’t pass because of the high level of French needed. But to my surprise, I passed them all and with higher grades than many of the natives themselves, which gave me an incredible boost in confidence! A confidence to even go on to win a marketing competition with my Marketing Team!

As in the past 2 years, the financial help given to me by the McDonagh family was unparalleled and made a great difference in my whole experience abroad. It helped to focus on my studies rather than financial problems. I just want to say thank you to the McDonagh family for all they’re doing for myself and other students and for helping us this far.

2nd Year Report

Second year for me was an amazing year, I passed all my exams and was very proud of myself for all the work I put into them. Being at Trinity is such a privilege for me and I always want to do the best that I can as to not waste this opportunity. I am now on 3rd year which is my Erasmus year. I am currently in Grenoble, France. I’m studying at Grenoble Ecole de Management which is a very well-known and important school in France. Being here is a dream come true for me. I’ve always wanted to study abroad and this year I got my chance! It was hard at the beginning and still is a little as every single class I have is taught through the French language, -and making new friends in a different culture is always hard. But now 2 months into the academic year, I can say that I am more settled, I’ve met some amazing people and I’m ready to make the most out of my time here in France! Being on Erasmus is an expensive opportunity, therefore I am very thankful for the financial help I am getting from this scholarship, it makes everything a little easier and less stressful.

1st Year Report

This first year at Trinity College has been one of the best years of my life. It was filled with new adventures and a discovery of what college life is all about. It was much more fun and exciting than I thought it would be. I got involved in so many activities throughout the year, with music activities being the main ones for me. I have joined the music society since day one and went to many of their events. The band that I play with were called to play at one of the societies’ 2018 ball and that was such a privilege for myself and the other band members. Academically, at the beginning of the year, I found it a little hard to adapt to college life and the fact that I had no more teachers telling me what to do or when to do it. I had a particular difficulty with statistics modules as maths is not one of my strongest points. I realised that being in college is a whole other level. But after a few months I got the hang of things and everything went alright from there as I learned to do things at college pace. The year has been amazing and none of this would have been possible without this scholarship. The scholarship allowed me to have so much more freedom and less stress than I thought I would have. I had time to focus on my studies instead of preoccupying myself with my finances. It changed my college experience and college life. I am so thankful for having been granted this scholarship and I will forever be appreciative of it.

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