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TU Dublin Access Students Among Recipients of Prestigious Insight Scholarships launched at Google HQ last week

Last Thursday, Google HQ played host to a remarkable celebration of talent, ambition, and opportunity as 40 students from across Ireland were awarded Insight Scholarships. Funded by Google.org and coordinated by the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics and DCU, these scholarships support students from underrepresented backgrounds in pursuing STEM degrees at third-level institutions nationwide.

The TU Dublin Access Support team were delighted to attend to witness An Taoiseach Micheál Martin present awards to our 10 TU Dublin Insight scholars. The Insight Scholarship Programme provides financial assistance of €5,000 per year alongside mentorship opportunities that will help students build networks and navigate their career paths in fields such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and digital safety.

The ceremony was opened with words from several influential speakers, including Dr. Jessica McCarthy, Vice President of Engineering at Google, the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science James Lawless, and An Taoiseach Micheál Martin. Each of them affirming their commitment to levelling the playing field in education.

A particularly powerful segment of the event featured an impressive panel of students and graduates who had benefited from access initiatives and similar programmes. This included Roisin Tracey, a dedicated community activist and disability rights advocate; Ava Kenny, a STEM Passport graduate; and Melissa Lynch, a DCU lecturer and PhD researcher. One of the standout moments of the ceremony was Melissa Lynch’s deeply personal account of her educational journey. Having overcome adversity to achieve her academic and career goals, Melissa’s experiences fuel her research into the barriers preventing students from backgrounds like hers from accessing higher education. Her PhD, titled 'NOBODY REALLY KNOWS! Exploring the Impact of Social and Cultural Capital on Low Socioeconomic Status (LSES) Students' Progression from DEIS Post-primary Schools to Further and Higher Education in Ireland,' delves into the critical role of social and cultural capital. At the event, Melissa powerfully articulated the importance of having role models, tying it back to the well-known saying: "You can't be what you can't see."

TU Dublin scholarship recipient Ingrid Francis, a student in Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics, emphasised the significance of the programme:

"I’ve always been very interested in tech and especially cybersecurity. I feel like having cybersecurity skills in today’s world is a bit like having martial arts skills – you need to be able to protect yourself! This scholarship is so important to me, and especially the mentorship programme, which would be very hard for me to access otherwise. That’s the support I need."

Fellow TU Dublin student Emmanuel Nguessa, studying Computer Science and Infrastructure, echoed these sentiments:

"This support is such an important part of my journey. I am especially excited about the mentoring; I think that is going to make all the difference to me."

Claire Dunne, Access Support Manager at TU Dublin, highlighted the broader impact of the initiative:

"What people don’t realise about students from access backgrounds is that it’s not just about financial barriers. Students from Access backgrounds do not always have the same access to the professional networks that some of their more affluent peers have. While finance is a barrier for many, there are other factors that can hinder career progression. It’s invaluable that Insight and Google are thinking beyond the financial barriers and offering a wraparound scholarship that includes mentorship and networking opportunities, which will have a hugely positive impact on the career trajectories of the scholars. It will help them tackle the ‘sense of belonging’ barrier that no one talks about."

René Melia, a recent Access graduate in Journalism, was selected for the EIL Explore Award over the summer. She was keen to share the experience and wrote a short piece on her travels below:

This summer I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer abroad in Mexico, Oaxaca thanks to a scholarship provided by EIL Intercultural Learning for five weeks. I volunteered with Ethnofood, an organisation that promotes social innovation through gastronomy.

Ethnofood echo the UNs sustainable development goals or SDGs, by including responsible consumption and production and decent work and economic growth and reduced inequalities. A highlight of my time volunteering with Ethnofood was partaking in a cooking class with Chef Quetzalli,

Ethnofood’s mission is to create unique culinary experiences using local products and ancestral knowledge, while supporting vulnerable youth and small producers in Oaxaca. I volunteered with Ethnofood Tuesday till Saturday and was given time to explore Oaxaca on my days off.

 I learned how to cook vegan mole Amarillo. Mole is a cornerstone of Mexican cuisine, passed down through generations, especially by women who preserve these traditions. Chef Quetzalli said to me that her grandmother taught her how to make the perfect tortilla – I realised that taste in food reflects more than nutrition, it exhibits generations of culture. Flavour connects people to a place and history. Indeed, a point Chef Quetzalli told me is that food needs to be made with love, and to bring out that love is through music. Walking through Central de Abastos market, the largest and most diverse market in Oaxaca its clear to see the dedication and hard work ethnic held by sellers and producers, and that is trickled into the goods you purchase and the delicious food you consume. The market displays a true merging of communities coming from differing regions within the Oaxacan state.

The tragic loss of my dad occurred during my time abroad in Mexico and I returned home earlier than expected. At the time, I remained in Oaxaca whilst I experienced the grief of losing my dad because I believed he would have wanted me to continue my explorer journey. Reflecting to this time I’ve realised what really connected me, my host family, the friends I made along the way and the community in Ethnofood was compassion, empathy and understanding.  To me – that is the foundation to create real change within your own community and on a large scale when we discuss world issues and its roots to tackle them.

 Volunteering through EIL Intercultural Learning has provided me with a sense of purpose and has caused me to reflect on my role within my community and deepened my personal growth.

Now as a graduate in Journalism this experienced has strengthened my interest in cultural journalism, which goes beyond arts journalism by engaging with lifestyle, societal issues, and ethical reflection. I want to thank Technological University Dublin’s Access office for informing me about this once in a lifetime opportunity and for putting my application forward and believing in me. I also want to thank EIL Intercultural Learning for selecting me as a 2024 Access Awardee winner, I felt much support throughout my explorer journey. That support has continued since my arrival home. I feel blessed to be part of a network that upholds values the same as my own in an effort to make change and bring awareness to global issues.