When and where did you sit the Leaving Cert exams?
In 2011 in Loreto Bray, bringing a close to a fun run of school memories made there.
What is your most vivid Leaving Cert memory?
Having a full brain-freeze at the start of English paper 1. It was supposed to be a guaranteed A-grade subject for me, so I was upset with the performance anxiety-related false start. Thankfully, I recovered well for a good Leaving Cert, overall.
Who was your most influential teacher and why?
Ms O’Dwyer, our incredible history teacher, managed to bring the past into the present, putting us in the shoes and the plight of the people we were learning about. She had us really using our brains and going beyond the curriculum with critical thinking and questioning, which was so refreshing when so much of the Leaving Cert was rote learning.
What was your most difficult subject?
Maths, my only pass subject and the spare one that I didn’t need to count the points for. I only do three sums regularly now: minus my agent fee, add VAT, and minus the ad breaks off the end of a radio hour to time out perfectly to the news.
RM Block
And your favourite?
History. It was an easy A after a few years with the aforementioned brilliant Ms O’Dwyer. A lifelong love of the subject has brought me to all sorts of mind-expanding historical sites and shows in the years since.
Can you recall what grades or points you received?
Yes, 470, and I only needed 440 for communications in DCU. Phew!
How important were the results for you ultimately?
I really enjoyed going straight into college and having time to grow up a bit there. However, lots of people in the spaces I work in have enjoyed great success without formal qualifications, so I think I’d have found my way, whatever the results.
What did you go on to do after secondary school?
I started working as lounge staff in The Martello (in Bray) less than 24 hours after my last exam. Hospitality and promotions jobs helped me to have funds for fun during my BA in communications at DCU. While studying there, the intro to DCUfm was a catalyst for a terminal case of the radio bug, which has unfurled into a fun media career in the years since.
What would you change about the Leaving Cert?
PE as a Leaving Cert subject would’ve been a dream for me – I was doing different sports every day of the week and senior sports prefect at the time, so I’m delighted to see that it is an option now. It’s brilliant that climate action and sustainable development is being rolled out as a Leaving Cert subject now, too. It will be so beneficial to the students graduating to have a solid grounding in one of the biggest challenges of their lifetime.
What advice would you give to your Leaving Cert self?
The path will reveal itself, so don’t stress if you don’t have a clear vision of exactly where you’re going. Follow your interests to each next step and make your next choice from there. The world of work and how we live is constantly evolving. Much of the work I do now, particularly on social media, didn’t exist when I was in school, so don’t fret if you’re not drawn to a traditional career path. Be a grafter and get after whatever it is you love.
