At last months graduation ceremony in South East Technological University (WIT), two of the honours graduates had a remarkable connection.
Esther Doyle and Danielle Flynn, who were once teacher and student in the same school, graduated in their respective courses with honours. Esther works as a Guidance Counsellor in the Presentation Secondary School, Waterford where Danielle was a student. Esther and Danielle followed parallel learning journeys in SETU and both spoke of how much they enjoyed their courses and the sense of achievement after years of hard work and determination.
Esther says that she was just as excited about graduating now as she was when she was at Danielle’s stage. “It’s never too late to start or to take on new learning challenges – you just need the confidence to take the first step”. She believes it is initiatives like the SETU Junior Access programmes, which begin in primary and secondary schools, that open up real opportunities for life long learning.
Nuala Lennon, Access Officer in SETU said: “On Thursday, I spotted a number of familiar faces at the graduation who have been linked to our Access programmes. I saw confident, beaming young adults proudly accepting their parchments. I noticed Esther and Danielle hug and it struck me how powerful the work of Access programmes can be simply by opening doors.
“But it also struck me how important it is to ensure that we continue to provide educational and social supports to this significant group of our most able, intelligent and very gracious young people. Part of our remit nationally is to increase participation among non-traditional students and it is of vital importance that we continue to fund this much needed activity.
Esther has been a Guidance Counsellor in the Presentation Secondary School since 2000 and undertook her part-time studies on the Masters of Arts in Management in Education programme in 2009.
Danielle started in SETU in 2007 on the Bachelor of Business (Honours) course and was supported by the SETU Access programme. She hopes to take a break and travel for a while before she takes the next step in her education and career path.
Both see their achievements as the beginning of an exciting future and hope to continue with their formal learning. Their success has given them the enthusiasm and encouragement to pursue further studies at Masters and PhD levels.