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.
James Ryan Vance
University Ulster PsychologyJames Ryan Vance
University Ulster
PsychologyJames is from east Belfast and attended the University of Ulster in Coleraine. The majority of his working life was spent in Ulster Bank. He initially studied an access course in the combined Social and Behavioural sciences at Belfast Met, then progressed into second year of a Bachelor of Science with honours in Psychology. James ultimately hopes to go onto complete a Clinical Psychology DClinPsy and become a clinical psychologist. He is very passionate about mental health, as his community has been badly affected by both the Troubles and now, more recently, a rise in drug addiction.
Jamile Santos da Silva
I have worked in the field of International Trade for more than seven years, and then immersed myself into the Information and Communications Technology sector due to its expansion in the global market. Meanwhile, I discovered my passion for Social Sciences and the need to explore societal dynamics along with human’s mind and behaviour. I am now back to education, truly enjoying the experience of studying what I have chosen for myself. I want to contribute to a more comprehensive, inclusive, and fair society where the wellbeing of all people is the primary objective of public and private institutions
Jennifer Dowling
University College Cork Social WorkJennifer Dowling
University College Cork
Social WorkJennifer left school after Transition Year due to undiagnosed dyslexia, which prevented her from sitting her Leaving Certificate exams. Believing university was unattainable, she completed a Level 5 qualification in childcare in her early 20s and worked in the field for many years. Her confidence grew after meeting with a career guidance counsellor, inspiring her to apply for the Bachelor of Social Work program at University College Cork. Volunteering with Childline, Ireland’s 24-hour listening service for children, ignited her passion to choose this career. This experience gave her first hand insight into the struggles many Irish families face, solidifying her commitment to her studies and to making a difference.
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.”
Jessica Silva
University College Dublin Science, Engineering, Agriculture and MedicineJessica Silva
University College Dublin
Science, Engineering, Agriculture and MedicineJessica has returned to education in 2023 to complete an Access programme to Science, Engineering, Agriculture and Medicine at UCD. She has then decided to enrol on a degree in Biomedical sciences that will enable her to pursue a career in Neuroscience where she plans to dedicate her research to help people with dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease, and their carers, to improve their quality of life and to support early diagnosis.
Joe Strawbridge
Trinity College Dublin Biological and Biomedical SciencesJoe Strawbridge
Trinity College Dublin
Biological and Biomedical SciencesJoe had always been fascinated with biology but, as he had not sat his Leaving Certificate, did not believe he’d be able to study at third level. After learning it was possible and making the decision to return to education, Joe completed a Level 5 university preparation course before taking a foundation science course at Trinity Access Programmes, receiving distinctions in both. He completed a BA Degree in Biological and Biomedical Sciences with honours in Zoology in 2024, and is currently employed as a research assistant in a lab in the Zoology department of Trinity College Dublin. The focus of the lab in which he works is the ecology of infectious diseases in a species of freshwater zooplankton. His experiences in university have allowed him to acquire many new skills and to greatly broaden his knowledge of biology. He intends to further his education by undertaking a Master’s Degree in parasitology in the near future.
Johanne O’Reilly
Johanne returned to education at the age of 50 to keep a promise to herself that she would give Art a try , after having left school at 14 with no confidence in her learning ability. She is in her third year of a BA in Art of Art. Her intention is to use her expertise and skills to help with workshop based projects the marginalised in the local community.
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.
The Scholarships
Uversity advertises and awards Higher Education Scholarships to Adult Learners to enrol on a Bachelor’s Degree for the first time