How do you remember your student years?
As we gear up for the announcement of our 2021 UCD Alumni Awardees in September, we spoke to the 2020 winners about their time at UCD, their careers, and the advice they have for students and graduates. These nine awardees are the epitome of passion, success, and ongoing support in their own communities as well as to our community of nearly 300,000 alumni worldwide. To see their full bios as well as the 2021 winners in September, you can visit the Alumni Awards website.
I really enjoyed the social and sports side and I played a lot of hockey – I still have a lot of friends from that time. I was very interested in science and learned so much in my zoology degree; and, biochemistry helped lay the groundwork for my business career.
– Cormac Kilty, BSc 1975 & PhD 1985, UCD Alumni Award in Science 2020
Friday nights at the L&H: those debates opened my mind to different views and really challenged my thinking. And of course, I met my husband at Belfield!
– Sharon Donnery, BA 1993 & MA 1994, UCD Alumni Award in Social Sciences 2020
The freedom of being able to explore your subject, to follow your curiosity, and the feeling of wonder and joy in mathematics which has never left me. There were few female students or lecturers in mathematics at that time: I had to grow my confidence and believe in myself.
– Sandra Collins, BSc 1991 & PhD 1996, UCD Alumni Award in Research, Innovation and Impact 2020
When I first went to UCD I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, and I studied Geography and Classics. I had a teacher who taught urban geography and he could see I had a real interest in business and I ended up doing my dissertation on retail distribution systems. I brought a lot of that learning to my early career and was fortunate to have a professor who allowed me to think laterally.
– Dalton Philips, BA 1990, UCD Alumni Award in Arts and Humanities 2020
What life-skills did you acquire at UCD?
I think the most profound realisation was that the work done in university is not only beneficial for the student’s personal development but can contribute to a wider social discussion. It is less about individual excellence, and more about a collaborative approach, more about ‘How can all this thinking/ production contribute to a greater good?’.
– Róisín Heneghan, BArch 1987, UCD Alumni Award in Engineering and Architecture 2020
Self-directed learning would be a big one and being taught how to communicate effectively. Thanks to UCD, there was a lot of work done on empathy – and meeting people from diverse backgrounds has been invaluable in my career.
– Jack McCaffrey, MB BCh BAO 2018, UCD Alumni Award in Sport 2020
Creativity is the most critical skill we need in life, a way of thinking about the world. I have applied it to challenges I’ve taken on, from putting together expedition teams to race in deserts, mountains and the poles to building businesses and catalysing collaborations in science, technology and investments.
– Mark Pollock, MBS 2003, UCD Alumni Award in Business 2020
I loved meeting a wide range of people, in class, when playing with the orchestra and travelling for debating. I wrote for the University Observer. In my third year, I went on exchange to UNSW in Sydney. That taught me a lot about arriving in a place where you know no one and building something of a life.
– Sally Hayden, BCL 2012, UCD Alumni Award in Law 2020
I joined the debating society and that really brought me on as a person. UCD helped me mix and mingle and made me curious about the world. And I’ve never lost that.
– Prof Delia Grace Randolph, MVB 1990, UCD Alumni Award in Health and Agricultural Sciences 2020
What career achievements are you most proud of?
The ability to adapt. After going blind in 1998 and becoming paralysed in 2010, I’ve had to reinvent myself twice. When I went blind, I created a speaking business based on my experiences as an adventure athlete. Now I’m paralysed, I’m bringing people together to solve the complex problem of curing paralysis in our lifetime.
– Mark Pollock, MBS 2003, UCD Alumni Award in Business 2020
I’m proud that I have spent my entire career in the public service. I find it extremely motivating to work in the public interest, particularly in times of crisis, when our work is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing and prosperity of our country.
– Sharon Donnery, BA 1993 & MA 1994, UCD Alumni Award in Social Sciences 2020
My appointment as Director of the NLI. In this role I’ve had the opportunity to oversee some spectacular acquisitions, a €15m capital redevelopment project, a new Seamus Heaney exhibition and the opening of MoLI, the Museum of Irish literature, in partnership with UCD. It’s been an exciting and hugely fulfilling five years.
– Sandra Collins, BSc 1991 & PhD 1996, UCD Alumni Award in Research, Innovation and Impact 2020
In football, it’s winning that first All-Ireland title in 2013 [when Dublin beat Mayo] and winning a fifth in 2019. I was very proud to be named Player of the Year for 2015. Medicine-wise, starting my paediatric training has been special.
– Jack McCaffrey, MB BCh BAO 2018, UCD Alumni Award in Sport 2020
Probably the most significant is winning the competition for the Grand Egyptian Museum. At the time it was the largest architectural competition ever held at the time – 1,557 submissions. It felt like a long shot.
– Róisín Heneghan, BArch 1987, UCD Alumni Award in Engineering and Architecture 2020
Would you change any aspect of your career?
Journalism is in crisis – pay is low and it’s difficult to fund reporting. If journalism isn’t funded, wrongdoing goes unexposed.
– Sally Hayden, BCL 2012, UCD Alumni Award in Law 2020
I would have focused on sales a bit earlier. In a way, the science is the easy bit. Getting what you’ve made accepted by physicians, insurers and the patient is difficult.
– Cormac Kilty, BSc 1975 & PhD 1985, UCD Alumni Award in Science 2020
Everything I do is about helping people build resilience and collaborate with others so they achieve more than they thought possible – it’s what motivates me to get up in the morning.
– Mark Pollock, MBS 2003, UCD Alumni Award in Business 2020
Do you have advice for graduates?
I know the pandemic has made everything very uncertain now, but I would say to graduates to embrace change. People might think that because they have trained to be an accountant, they have to become an accountant, but that need not be the case: discover what makes you happy.
– Prof Delia Grace Randolph, MVB 1990, UCD Alumni Award in Health and Agricultural Sciences 2020
Work hard. Be humble. Keep learning. Don’t be too proud to start from the bottom. Follow your passions instead of money. Give back. Amplify the voices of those who are overlooked.
– Sally Hayden, BCL 2012, UCD Alumni Award in Law 2020
Sometimes we choose our challenges. Sometimes our challenges choose us. What we decide to do next is what counts.
– Mark Pollock, MBS 2003, UCD Alumni Award in Business 2020
Don’t be afraid to take that first step out into the world. Don’t expect it to be the perfect one. Remember, UCD has given you a ‘trained mind’.
– Cormac Kilty, BSc 1975 & PhD 1985, UCD Alumni Award in Science 2020
Today’s graduates are entering a very different world from that of 18 months ago. Being open to learning about others’ views and coming to your own; being flexible enough to continuously learn.
– Sharon Donnery, BA 1993 & MA 1994, UCD Alumni Award in Social Sciences 2020
Be brave! Follow your heart, don’t be afraid to take risks.
– Sandra Collins, BSc 1991 & PhD 1996, UCD Alumni Award in Research, Innovation and Impact 2020
Enjoy your time at UCD – it’s a fantastic spot. Don’t worry too much about staying in touch with everyone; when you meet up again you’ll be chatting away in no time.
– Jack McCaffrey, MB BCh BAO 2018, UCD Alumni Award in Sport 2020
Typically, my advice would be to travel. It’s good to get out of your environment, to have your assumptions questioned – but right now that is difficult. So, a reminder to question continuously: often we are told that something cannot be done and rather than accept that at face value, we find out why. So often, there is an underlying assumption that can actually change and that opens things up. Oh, and learn a language.
– Róisín Heneghan, BArch 1987, UCD Alumni Award in Engineering and Architecture 2020
Three things: find courses that really interest you, work as hard as you can, and build a great variety of work experiences as a graduate.
– Dalton Philips, BA 1990, UCD Alumni Award in Arts and Humanities 2020
To see the full interviews with each of the 2020 Awardees, click here.
