i always forget that i’m a first generation college graduate in my family, like i’m literally my nanny’s first grandchild that has gone to college and i never really think about the hurdles i had to jump thru to get to where i am today, they were just normalised for me

i didn’t have college educated parents to help me with my cao or even just my LC subjects, i worked full time through my entire degree even during exam periods, i didn’t get to experience erasmus to help my language and i still graduated with a 2.1 in french and history

there was no direct bus from tallaght to ucd until the end of my second year; literally think about that. that’s a direct blocking of access to education for people in low income areas because not everyone can afford a car and everything that comes with it

i was constantly afraid to speak in seminars because my accent was so different to the majority of people in the classroom. like what the fuck. we need more working class people in third level so that we can see actual change in the world

i want to hear more working class voices and accents and experiences on TV and radio and in STEM and in the arts and on social media because we exist too. just because we sound different and come from different areas doesn’t make us any less valid. we have to be included

we have something different and vibrant to bring to the table. stop discriminating against a postcode