Education in Ireland's Brazilian Ambassador and SETU student, Pilar Rodrigues, praises SETU in guest blog post for online student hub
Having graduated from SETU with a MA in Social Studies, Pilar applied for and was awarded a SETU President’s PhD Scholarship; a prestigious award for expert-reviewed research ideas.
"One of the things that I like most about the institute is the support given by lectures. Throughout my time in the MA in Social Studies, and now working on my PhD, I have had the opportunity to study with lecturers who have taken their time to give me detailed feedback on my research and on what I am writing. This has and continues to be an amazing support for me to improve as a researcher."
Pilar arrived in Ireland from her home in Recife, Brazil, with an undergraduate degree in International Relations from Centro Universitário do Distrito Federal (Brasília) and a postgraduate diploma in Cultural Management from Centro Universitário SENAC-SP (São Paulo).
Pilar completed her master’s degree in Social Studies having successfully been awarded a Government of Ireland Scholarship by the Irish Research Council and continued her academic success through to the current SETU President’s PhD Scholarship.
The title of her research is 'Social & Economic Policy and Irish Work Practices: examining the influence of policy on workers in Ireland'.
Asked to describe her current research, Pilar said "The aim of my research is to investigate the experiences of workers holding precarious jobs. More specifically, this study will focus on migrant workers in Ireland, and how their working lives are shaped by government policy as well as market forces. The project will rely on ethnographical research as a primary means of investigation and will seek to understand the lived experience of such precarious workers."
Pilar’s experience of both SETU and Waterford has instilled a very positive impression of Ireland. “A characteristic that I really like about Ireland is that the Irish people are always friendly and welcoming. Also, one of the things that I love, particularly about Waterford City, is the variety of cultural events and festivals that occur throughout the year," she said.
Pilar's blog post for Education in Ireland can be read here.