Our Scholars
What distinguishes Uversity's Scholars is their commitment to being transformed and transforming others as a result of the Scholarship and educational experience.
Meet Our Scholars
These brief profiles of Uversity’s Scholars provide an indication of their diverse experiences, locations, and disciplines. They are unified by their inspirational ambition and determination.
Ciara Hicks
Hayden Nightingale
Karen Horan
Michelle Murray
Octavian Visan
Patrick Lynch
Ciara Hicks
Ciara worked in the gaming sector prior to returning to education initially at the Cork College of Commerce. After her degree, Ciara intends to complete a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She eventually wants to “work as a mental health professional in Cork City in the public sector and provide therapies and support to people who need it and improve people’s quality of life.”
Hayden Nightingale
Hayden was motivated to return to education when he gave up his job to move back home to help care for his mother. Knowing that he “wasn’t living up to his potential” and wanted to find a career he had a passion for, he enrolled on Belfast Metropolitan College’s Access Diploma in Mathematics and Computing. After his degree, Hayden may pursue a Master’s in Corporate Governance and hopes to specialise “in the programming development side of the IT industry and more long term work on a self-employed basis and develop my own company.”
Karen Horan
Karen was brought up in a working class community and experienced the difficulties faced by the community in relation to equal justice. By working for Inclusion Ireland she built up skills in information provision. She went onto volunteer as a Citizen Information Officer, where she developed a passionate interest in Law. She recently joined the National Advocacy Service as the National Administrator where she works full-time while completing her degree. Karen intends to use her legal knowledge to give back to the community that has given her so much.
Michelle Murray
Michelle’s passion is for animal welfare, particularly horses. In 2016, she set up a project to support equine health and education with the Kildare Traveller Action group. She subsequently completed a Community Development & Leadership course prior to enrolling on her degree. She recently completed a Level 7 Certificate in Youth Studies at Maynooth University. Her ultimate aim is to set up a mobile equine health unit to help horse owners in disadvantaged and rural communities that struggle to access veterinary care.
Octavian Visan
Octavian worked for many years as a Hotel Receptionist prior to setting up his own tennis equipment business in 2014. The onset of ill health motivated him to further his education and change career direction. He has completed a Level 6 Business Administration course along with extra modules in Maths and Computerised Accounts. His work placement in Cora Systems allowed him to further develop his existing design and communication skills. With his degree, Octavian intends to start a career in Digital Marketing and open his own business in the future.
Patrick Lynch
Due to the onset of a degenerative back disease, Patrick had to cease being a self-employed carpenter. As he is also a musician, Patrick decided to pursue this alternative career path. He hopes to equip himself “with a qualification relevant to a career in music, arts and media” and to continue to develop his own creative ambitions as an artist.
Catherine Gardner
Ulster University Social WorkCatherine Gardner
Ulster University
Social WorkCatherine is enthused by and committed to improving the lives of disadvantaged people. This passion has been fuelled by experiences in her own life as well as the many years of professional experience working with children with special educational needs. Her career objective is to become a qualified Social Worker and undertaking a full-time degree in Social Work is an exciting step on that journey. She hopes to work with children in a social work environment as she would find this exceptionally enriching and rewarding.
Cathy Morgan
Computing TechnologyCathy Morgan
Cathy returned to education in 2021 to obtain her GCSEs before enrolling in 2022 to complete an Access Diploma in Foundational Studies at South Eastern Regional College in Bangor. Her passion for technology and the pathways it can open up for people from diverse backgrounds has compelled her to enrol on a degree in Computing Technology that will enable her to use the skills learned to get involved with charitable organisations that provide support to young people, to help them see there is a different direction in life they can take.
Cathy Tallon
Trinity College Dublin MidwiferyCathy Tallon
Trinity College Dublin
MidwiferyCathy returned to education following a number of years as the primary care giver to her young children at home. In 2022 she enrolled in a BSc in Midwifery in Trinity College Dublin. Cathy was eager to gain the knowledge and experience that would allow her to care for, and support women and families, in one of the most important journeys they will experience.
Charlene Palliser
Queen’s University Belfast English & SociologyCharlene Palliser
Queen’s University Belfast
English & SociologyCharlene worked in the accounting sector for over 10 years. She enrolled on the humanities and social sciences access course in September 2021 at Belfast Metropolitan College before starting at Queens University Belfast in 2023. Charlene is studying English and Sociology as she has a keen interest in both subjects and how they impact each other.
Charles McGrath
Queen’s University Belfast PsychologyCharles McGrath
Queen’s University Belfast
PsychologyCharles left school at 16 and has worked for the Northern Ireland Civil Service for the last 18 years. In 2018, Charles decided to pursue his passion for psychology by reentering education. Since then, Charles has completed his A-levels and Certificate of Higher Education with Belfast Metropolitan College in Combined Social and Behavioural Sciences. He is now completing his BSc in Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast and hopes to pursue a career in Sports Psychology in the future.
Chloe Brophy
Ulster University Speech and Language TherapyChloe Brophy
Ulster University
Speech and Language TherapyChloe was exposed to Speech and Language Therapy through one of her family members and a work placement in secondary school. While she trained and work as a chef for several years, Chloe has been actively involved with Special Olympics firstly as a volunteer and then as trained coach. These experiences informed her decision to qualify as a Speech and Language Therapist. To prepare for university she enrolled on South Eastern Regional College’s Access Course in 2018 while continuing to work as a chef. In the future, Chloe hopes to use her educational and life experience in the education sector to work with children with additional needs.
Christina Flynn
Cork Institute of Technology Fine ArtChristina Flynn
Cork Institute of Technology
Fine ArtChristina is a multidisciplinary artist who works across many different materials. Her current work focuses on experienced pain and how it impacts the body. Christina uses crochet as a means of expressing these uncomfortable feelings. As her hands move through the thread, thoughts are transported into a visible language of soft fabric. She casts some of these crochet pieces as glass sculptures. Glass is inherently vulnerable and is completely transformed by the crochet. Christina also uses sublimation-print as a process for transferring photographs onto fabric. This changes the cloth, leaving an imprint that evokes a different feel than a traditional photograph.
Christopher Denslow
Trinity College Dublin General NursingChristopher Denslow
Trinity College Dublin
General NursingChristopher decided to take the step into Nursing in 2022. He enrolled into a QQI course to test the waters and was immediately invested. He used those skills to apply for a General Nursing degree in Trinity College Dublin where he is able to continue his education in hopes of becoming a Advanced Nurse Practitioner.
The Scholarships
Uversity advertises and awards Higher Education Scholarships to Adult Learners to enrol on a Bachelor’s Degree for the first time