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.
Orla Fitzgerald
St Patrick’s Carlow College Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care)Orla Fitzgerald
St Patrick’s Carlow College
Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care)Having “discovered a resilience and a hunger to help others that may be disadvantaged,” Orla has enrolled on a Social Care Degree. Her longer term aims are to complete a Masters in Play Therapy, “publish a thesis that might help/inspire someone else” and perhaps set up her own practice.
Patricia Bird
St Patrick’s Carlow College Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care)Patricia Bird
St Patrick’s Carlow College
Applied Social Studies (Professional Social Care)Prior to returning to college, Patricia was a Health Care Assistant in St. John’s Caring Centre in Hacketstown and completed Level 5 & 6 qualifications in Carlow. She was also a Director of the Strawberry Festival in Enniscorthy and held several other positions in the hospitality and catering sector. Her ambition is to qualify as a Social Care Worker “to help someone who does not have a voice or who finds it difficult to use it to get heard.”
Patrick Boutilier
Ulster University Interactive ComputingPatrick Boutilier
Ulster University
Interactive ComputingFor the last seven years Patrick has been a Mortgage Consultant with Santander Banking Group. This role gave him exposure to interactive computing when working on the design and roll out of a new mortgage system. In 2016, he was appointed Head of Santander’s Diversity and Inclusion People Network and was instrumental in the growth and success of Santander’s diversity activities. In 2018/19, he completed Ulster University’s Access Diploma in Computing, Business & Multimedia. Once he has completed his degree, Patrick would like to initially work as a UX / UI designer in a large technology firm and then set up his own business.
Patrick Lynch
Institute of Technology Tralee Music TechnologyPatrick Lynch
Institute of Technology Tralee
Music TechnologyDue 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.
Patrick Stenson
Maynooth University Social SciencePatrick Stenson
Maynooth University
Social SciencePatrick has lived a life which allows him to understand the struggles of those in need. He believes a third level education coupled with his life experiences will allow him to give back to the services which have supported him. To prepare for his degree, Patrick returned to education at the Pathways Centre in 2018 where he completed two Level 5 Courses in Addiction and Social Studies and was selected Student of the Year. He also resat his Leaving Certificate in Maths and progressed onto Technological University of Dublin’s Access Programme.
Paula Downey
Queen’s University Belfast Art, English & HistoryPaula Downey
Queen’s University Belfast
Art, English & HistoryPaula reluctantly left school early in 1985 to work full-time. Despite squeezing night-school and vocational qualifications between her work and voluntary commitments, Paula’s dream to complete her education failed to materialise. She spent the last fifteen years as a self-employed consultant, assisting employers in identifying and assessing the most suitable candidates for recruitment and coaching those seeking career progression. Noting an increasing number of international applicants experiencing disadvantage due to their English language proficiency, Paula identified an opportunity to help. In 2019 she commenced a five-year plan to enable her to teach English to speakers of other languages with particular emphasis on preparing jobseekers for success. Completing Belfast Metropolitan College’s Access Course provided an excellent foundation to her degree. Paula ultimately plans to open an affordable-to-all language school in Belfast.
Richard Greene
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology Furniture Design & ManufactureRichard Greene
Galway Mayo Institute of Technology
Furniture Design & ManufactureHaving worked in high profile restaurants for a decade, Richard embarked on a journey to find a more fulfilling vocation. With a background in antique furniture, an appreciation of art and design and ability to work with his hands and solve practical problems, Richard has successfully completed Level 5 and 6 courses in Furniture Design and Making. With his degree, Richard intends to gain experience in a professional workshop, while setting up his own workshop to build a reputation for quality furniture restoration and bespoke design and solutions for clients in their home and work environments.
Rona Askins
University College Dublin PsychologyRona Askins
University College Dublin
PsychologyRona has just completed Trinity College Dublin’s Access Programme while juggling part-time work and family caring responsibilities. Her personal and academic experiences have led her to pursue a degree in Psychology with a particular interest in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT). Her goal is “to become a counselling psychologist and help others.”
The Scholarships
Uversity advertises and awards Higher Education Scholarships to Adult Learners to enrol on a Bachelor’s Degree for the first time