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Graduation for DCU in the Community Students
By Niamh Griffin
6th May
Middle row left to right: Celine Green, Michelle Boylan, Lorraine Coburn, Natasha Dempsey, June Harrington, Janet Nolan, Melissa Langan, Denise Keating, Theresa Gillen (tutor), Maria Coogan
Front row left to right: Mary McDonald, Debbie Johnston, Jeanette Brennan, Joanne Lee
A moving graduation ceremony took place for 33 mature age students at Dublin City University (DCU) on April 14th. The students received their certificates from Professor Anne Scott, Registrar and Deputy President of DCU.
The students studied courses run jointly by DCU in the Community and Whitehall College of Further Education. The three courses - Bridge to Education, Social Studies, and Psychology and Well-Being - run for ten weeks each and are aimed at adult learners in the Ballymun area. The project is closely supported by the University.
Tony Dunne, graduating from the Bridge to Education course said: "I found this great. The whole DCU experience was great. I'll be doing a Physics degree next at the college, Physics and Astronomy."
Students said the confidence they gained was as important as the academic side of the studies. Breda King, graduating from the Social Studies course said it had been about 30 years since she left school and added: "It was brilliant, I really enjoyed it. I found it hard in the beginning but it's nice once you get into it. I'd love to be a social worker. I'm starting another 10 week course in Psychology here next."
Celine Greene, also a graduate of the Social Studies course found the work interesting. "There's lots of reading and research. It was a great introduction to studies although it was hard sometimes."
Prof Scott raised a laugh around the room with stories of her first time coming to Dublin as a young student. She reminded the students: "As soon as you go through the door, you get evidence it's not as difficult as you thought. Really, the sky is the limit."
Praising work done by the staff, especially Prof Ronnie Munck, Head of Global and Civic Engagement DCU, she said the role of the centre is to make university accessible to everyone in the community. Like many of the students in the room, she was the first in her family to go to university and finished by saying: "I really congratulate you and appreciate the great effort you made to start and finish the course."
The students were guided by the DCU in the Community team under Prof Munck. Helen McQuillan and Joanna Ozarowska, based at the centre, received high praise from many of the students for their dedication. Tutors Theresa Gillen and Patrick Bruce received two rose-bushes as a token of the work they had done in "helping these thorny flowers to bloom".
Prof Munck said: "The University really wants to be part of the social regeneration of Ballymun; it's not just about the physical regeneration." He also thanked the project partners Ballymun Regeneration Limited (BRL), and Whitehall College of Further Education, represented by Patricia Smith at the graduation.
A former student, Denise Keating, came back with an inspiring speech for her old classmates. "It was the hardest thing I've ever done to go through that door. Back then I hadn't the confidence to do the confidence course. But now I'm here, speaking to you. I couldn't have done this last year. That course was the best thing I ever did."