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.