Access Student Leaders 

Adam and the 2017 Access Student Leaders

The Access Fund allows donors to DIT to specifically support students from low income families and areas of disadvantage. This year more DIT alumni than ever have supported the fund which will help many students who struggle to make ends meet while in full time education.

Adam Betts is the 2017/2018 Access Student Coordinator. Adam will work with a team of 30 Access student leaders throughout the academic year to support the new first year Access students through mentoring and peer support, to engage with their own communitiies to promote educational opportunity and to gain key skills through their leadership development programme. Adam is a third year Business and Management student at DIT Aungier Street. He lives with his Mum in Ringsend and attended school locally. Adam is the first in his family to attend college and for him there was never any doubt that higher education was in his future.  Below he talks about his experience of Access at DIT: 

"My time in access has been nothing but great, from how nice the staff are, to the people you meet and the opportunities you get. When I first was about to start college it was a bit daunting, and I feel like the orientation week provided by the access service before college done wonders for me and helped me settle into college knowing all I needed to and knowing more people going in. That is why I feel other people, including myself, volunteer to the access service. We know how much it has helped us and want others to feel like we did, also gaining to skills and experiences along the way.

Some students may face financial, social, or other difficulties, and the access office is always there to support you. I feel like it’s the reason some students end up staying in college during hard times to be honest.

As I mentioned, access can provide us, and has provided me, with many opportunities we may otherwise not get. I have been sent to external leadership training with the Common Purpose Frontrunner Programme offered to two access students during my first year, I have been a leader on the previous year’s orientation programme and this year I am the Student Coordinator of it. I feel like these things have helped me grow and gain a lot of confidence.

I think the new student leaders and incoming students may benefit from hearing how much the access office has done for me, how its helped me grow and how it can do the same for them!"