Students

We asked the University of Sanctuary community to share some thoughts on their experiences, click on the links below to see what they had to say.

University of Sanctuary Scholarships

• I am honoured to have received a scholarship from the University of Sanctuary. It means even more as, coming from a third world country, this would have NEVER been possible! It has helped me continue my studies to pursue my passion in science. I would not have access to such an amazing university, that provides great opportunity to learn and grow without it. With this support, I have accomplished a lot. I am proud to say I worked hard to be where I am, but certainly could not have achieved it without the help of the University of Sanctuary. Thank you for seeing potential in me and investing in my future. 
  Brenda Chanza.
• My profession is such that when you have a break in practice, it'll be difficult, if not impossible, to get back into practice.  Having fled from my home country to seek asylum in Ireland, I was told that I could not practice until the due process had taken its course. I have spent over 2years without hearing from the Justice Department. To mitigate my break in practice, the only option I had was to study, but then it wasn't feasible as I was required to pay a Non-EU fee. I met many individuals and organisations for assistance but got none. I almost went into depression. I was sad every day of my life until someone told me about the sanctuary team. I applied and got the scholarship. This brought back serenity and so much joy into my life. They gave me hope again. I will forever remain grateful to Ireland and indebted to the sanctuary Team. I hope to give back to Irish society as soon as possible.

Sanctuary in Politics Summer Programme

• We need to make a change in the society by the power of activism and equality
• The SiP programme is very enlightening and would recommend to anyone. It made me realize I have power in my voice and when used, it can have significant impact on the future of others.
• It's a brilliant programme and I would recommend it more sessions as it was so good
• The programme is very in depth . I couldn't believe how much i learnt in the programme. I will definitely recommend it to others.
• Let's build an equal world for all regardless of colour and let's embrace our diversity, respect and learn from each other.
• It will enrich and empower you.
• It was great to spend time with so many inspiring people from diverse backgrounds who are working to create a world where we can all feel safe and flourish.

Bike Week

• The Mheitheal Rothar initiative with UoS hs benefited me and my mental and physical health greatly. As a 2^nd year student who lives in Direct Provision, getting a bike was a blessing in disguise. Since being in lockdown, I found myself stuck in a routine and I was focusing on academic deadlines and studying without taking breaks and the bike could not have come at a better time because I cycle for 30 minutes almost every day. This has helped my mental health greatly because I do not feel as burnt out as I was before and thus increasing my productivity and efficiency, and I feel physically great as well because it also serves as a workout tool. I could not be more grateful for this.
• I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for funding  the bicycle scheme.This scheme to me has contributed positively in my life as it has made it easy to move around . I have gained a lot of knowledge on how to maintain my bike by watching YouTube channel from An Mheitheal Rothar . Interestingly enough I have gained more friends as well who have bikes like me and we have exchanged notes about various things that concern our bikes. Not only that, we have even organised a road trip using our bikes, which I look forward to during summer. In September when the college opens we hope that we will have our classes on campus and i will be using my bike daily as my mode of transport. i hope that this scheme will continue  so that  other students so that they can benefit  cut their costs when it comes to transportation and also beat the bad traffic in Galway. Thank you so much
• Hi An Mheitheal Rothar,
  I just wanted to say a BIG “thank you” for your recent fast, efficient, friendly & knowledgeable service in the partial rebuild/full free service of road bike that I got from you and the basic service on the hybrid. Great work! Your collection and delivery service was efficient. I am happy to say that I'm stress free , because of the bike as I dont need to worry about the traffic congestion wich often appears during rush hour in Galway. Furthermore, cycling reduce my cost of living dramatically. With the price of taxi and bus, travelling by bicycle cost me less money than taxis and other public transportation services. Therefore,  your bike made my life easy and it was great to have it and I encourage you to get more bikes for students in need.