‘It’s hard being in education when you’re homeless’

Leah Mulligan (20), from Liberties College, was presented with the Finbarr Flood Award for Outstanding Achievement at the Guinness Storehouse, in recognition of extraordinary commitment to personal growth and positive impact on others.

Diageo this week announced the recipients of the 35th Annual Finbarr Flood Scholarships, recognising and celebrating academic excellence among young people from the community around St. James's Gate in Dublin.

Leah's teachers nominated her as she "exemplifies resilience and determination". She receives a special bursary and laptop package, sponsored by Diageo, to support her future studies.

"I dropped out of school when I was 13. I was enrolled in education, but I just didn't go. I didn't really fit in. It didn't fit my personality. I was quite heavily bullied when I was in school," Ms Mulligan told the Irish Independent.

"I had moved school twice and I just never went. Eventually, when I was 17, I went to a training centre where I did a level 4 and then got my level 5 in youth and community and now, I'm in Maynooth.

"Maynooth came up as an option for doing my bachelor's degree and I worked as hard as I could to get there.

"I grew up in Clontarf, but I ended up homeless at 17 with my mam. We moved from different homeless accommodations. I'm still homeless, but staying with friends.

"It's hard to be in education when you're in homeless accommodation. It doesn't really fit very well with the agenda of trying to do your assignments.

"You also need a good support system because when you're in somewhere like that you can be very isolated and very alone.

"It worked out better for me to stay in friends and family houses in the meantime while I'm in college.

"When I dropped out of school, they had linked me in with the youth service and it was just a completely different experience.

"Having someone that isn't necessarily trying to make you do something you don't want to do, and they're just there for your needs. It just changes the way you see things."

Overcoming major challenges in her journey through education, Leah graduated with eight distinctions from Liberties College and represented Ireland at an Erasmus event.

Leah is currently studying Community and Youth Work at Maynooth University and on completion hopes to become a Youth Worker, working with disadvantaged young people in her community.

"The more I looked into youth work, the more I saw how beneficial it can be. It's more about meeting people where they're at and trying to empower them to make change for themselves," she said.

"Without youth work for myself, I wouldn't even be where I am now. At 16 and 17, I was very isolated. I was going home to the homeless accommodation. I wanted to do better for myself and the people around me.

"People talk about dropping out of school as being a really bad thing, but I think I am proof that the education system isn't for everyone and that there's other ways to get around it. My PLC course changed everything about my education.

"With the award now, that's just going to be so beneficial for me, even for things like topping up my Leapcard to go to college, tuition fees, paying for college.

"This is going to make all the difference for me in the sense that I'll be able to do my college work but not have to worry about what's going on in the background of it."