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.
Jamaica De Guzman
Queen’s University Belfast Software EngineeringJamaica De Guzman
Queen’s University Belfast
Software EngineeringLeaving school without formal qualifications, Jamaica worked for twelve years in multinational hospitality and retail companies. During this time she was exposed to integrated software and hardware solutions which tested the depths of her knowledge of technology and capabilities in complex computational problems. Wanting to qualify as a software engineering, Jamaica enrolled on a Diploma in Computing for the Economy to prepare for her degree. Jamaica volunteers with Cancer Fund for Children, You Glow Girl Northern Ireland and the British Heart Foundation because she believes small steps can make a change in someone’s life.
James Crowe
Maynooth University Social PolicyJames Crowe
Maynooth University
Social PolicyHaving been active in community work since the early 1980s, James wanted to have a career that would allow him to have greater impact. He prepared for university by completing the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed’s Building Futures Programme. Inspired by his experience with In Our Shoes walking tours in Dublin’s Liberties, James hopes to set up this type of program in every community centre in Ireland once he has his degree.
Jennifer Keating
National College of Ireland BusinessJennifer Keating
National College of Ireland
BusinessHaving worked for many years in the catering and hospitality industry, Jennifer first completed a Level 5 course in Office Administration before enrolling on Rathmines College’s Level 6 Advanced Certificate in Business in 2018. Once she completes her degree, Jennifer is interested in working in areas “that help people get past barriers to fulfilling work life, whether they are social, cultural, financial, or physical.”
Joe Strawbridge
Trinity College Dublin Biological and Biomedical SciencesJoe Strawbridge
Trinity College Dublin
Biological and Biomedical SciencesJoe has always have been fascinated by Biology and the natural world. When he left school before sitting his Leaving Certificate, Joe never thought he could attend college. He completed courses that did not require a Leaving Certificate and worked for a couple of years but Biology was still what captured his interest. When he learned he could still attend college without a Leaving Certificate, Joe put all his time and effort into making this possible. He has completed a Level 5 course and the Trinity Access Programme and has secured his long desired place on a degree in the Biological Sciences.
Karen Horan
Technological University Dublin LawKaren Horan
Technological University Dublin
LawKaren 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.
Karina Grustane
Trinity College Dublin Biological & Biomedical SciencesKarina Grustane
Trinity College Dublin
Biological & Biomedical SciencesKarina returned to education in 2015 by enrolling on an English course. With a passion for science and medical research, particularly molecular medicine, microbiology and immunology, Karina completed additional courses in healthcare and pre-university science. In 2018/19, Karina completed Trinity College Dublin’s Access Programme and secured a place on their Degree in Biological & Biomedical Sciences. Karina “craves the satisfaction of researching genetic diseases and coming up with innovative ideas that could change someone’s life, improving quality of life and lengthen lifespan.”
Karol Lapot
University College Cork Applied PsychologyKarol Lapot
University College Cork
Applied PsychologyFor the last decade, Karol has held a variety of positions mostly in the arts. He was a full-time musician, manager of his own screen printing company and an arts centre. Recent experiences and research have motivated him to pursue a degree and career in the field of psychology. In 2018/19 he completed a Level 5 course in Psychology with the Cork College of Commerce. In time, through further education, Karol hopes “to be in a position to help and make a positive impact on people’s lives through offering services as a clinical Psychologist specialising in areas such as anxiety, depression, addiction and assertiveness training.”
Katarzyna Opozda
University of Limerick Paramedic StudiesKatarzyna Opozda
University of Limerick
Paramedic StudiesKatarzyna’s preparation and determination to become a paramedic is evident in the courses and qualifications she completed from 2015 to enrolling on her degree in 2018. She secured sponsorship for her course fees and volunteered with St Vincent de Paul, St Johns Ambulance and worked as a Health Care Assistant. She would like to “be part of the Pre Hospital Care first response” and gain further experience and education in this field to progress her career and pass her knowledge and experience onto others.
The Scholarships
Uversity advertises and awards Higher Education Scholarships to Adult Learners to enrol on a Bachelor’s Degree for the first time