Testimonials from Students
Tara Finglas’ Story
The DIT Access service made it a lot easier to settle into college life. With the help of the extra grant I did not have to worry about money for books, living expenses or missing out on field trips. I also had the added bonus of having a mentor who I would meet with monthly in first year just in case I had any problems. The first year of a course can be the most difficult but through the help of the DIT Access service I successfully passed all of my exams and the rest of the four years of my course flew by.
Community Links and the DIT Access service fill a gap in Dublin and amongst other disadvantaged areas. It focuses on people who have the ability but who need a little push and support in the right direction. Since graduation I have completed my masters in Trinity College M Phil International Peace Studies. With my degree and masters I decided to pursue a career in international development by focusing on the key area of communications. Currently I am working as a Communications Officer with UNICEF in Malawi as part of the United Nations Volunteer (UNV) programme.
Adele Aqil’s Story
I am currently a student in Dublin Institute of Technology who is about
to graduate with an ordinary degree in Pharmaceutical Manufacture.
When I heard about the Access Service for third level education I was
truly happy as I felt with their help and support I would have the
opportunity to go to college on completion of my leaving certificate. I
was anxious that I would not be capable of submitting the required
work, I assumed that many questions I had about college would not be
answered and I would feel out of place. However, with the help and
support of DIT Access service I was able to reach completion of my
degree, and am now pursuing an add-on honours degree course in Chemical
sciences.
I have always had a passion for science ever since I was young. With
the supports of the DIT Access Service my dream of attaining an honours
degree in science is becoming a reality and for that I am truly
grateful.
Andrew McCann’s Story
Since I achieved a 2.1 in my initial degree, this allowed me to proceed to a BSc (Hons) Degree in Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology available in the School of Biological Sciences. The last 3 months of my course involved completing a project and I was invited back to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. I graduated soon after completing this Final Year Project, achieving an ambition most kids in my area would not have been able to do. However not only did I graduate with a 2.1, I was also awarded the Glenn D’Arcy Medal for submitting the ‘Best Final Year Project’ in the entire year. This was a huge achievement for me considering where I had started from.
After leaving college, my final year project supervisor gave me the opportunity to work with him on the National Genotyping Programme at the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Laboratories. I worked on this particular Project for 6 months before being moved onto the National Salmonella Pig Survey for which I was solely responsible.
Throughout my studies at DIT, I know that if I hadn’t the support available to me through the Access Service I probably wouldn’t have completed these courses or not to the level I had hoped for.
