ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2021 - 35

Kimberly Pingol
ISTAT Foundation
Grant Student
" My family moved over to Ireland
from the Philippines around 20 years
ago, and we've lived in Crumlin ever
since. I have quite a big family living at
home, including my parents, my sister,
my grandparents, my aunt and uncle,
and my two cousins, so there's never a
quiet moment in our house!
I always knew I wanted to study
aviation at university, as I'm fascinated
by the industry as a whole. The buzz
of being in an airport, people going on
holidays or returning home to families
just can't be rivaled anywhere else, so
the idea of working in this environment
has always excited me.
When researching what third-level
courses I needed to apply to do in order
to get into the aviation industry, DCU
came out as the top university. I did
very well throughout secondary school,
even receiving some academic awards;
however, when the first national
lockdown in Ireland hit last year
because of COVID-19, I must admit I
lost a lot of motivation to study.
I became quite anxious and worried
about my Leaving Cert and how
everything would turn out - would the
Leaving Cert go ahead? Would I still be
able to go to university? I tried my best
to push through these feelings and,
thankfully, everything turned out for the
best, as I'm now studying my dream
course at DCU.

Although my first year at university
was never how I imagined it would be,
I'm still happy that I'm studying aviation
management at DCU. I've also joined a
few clubs and societies, including the
Aviation Society, so hopefully I'll get
to meet a few of the friends I've made
in-person in the near future.
The Access Programme has been
a great support since coming to DCU.
The financial support has helped to buy
some expensive books I need for my
modules, which means I don't have to
rely on my parents to help. The online
Access Orientation Week I attended
ahead of the rest of the university
starting back really settled my nerves
and worries of starting online learning
at university, so I'm really grateful
for the support I've received in the
past few months at DCU. The Access
Programme also offers online materials
for Access students, so I know that if
my motivation for studying drops again
due to learning from home, I can turn
to the Access Programme for support. "
ISTAT President Gerry Butler
highlighted the importance of the ISTAT

among all third-level institutions in
Ireland and, specifically, I would like to
thank Jason Sherlock, DCU Educational
Trust Director of Development, for his
commitment, enthusiasm and drive to
make this happen. The support will help
some students to take their first steps
in their aviation career through the
BSc in Aviation Management degree.
We look forward to seeing and hearing
more from DCU and the students
in due course and following their
career paths. "
ISTAT Foundation Grants Committee
Chair Sigthor Einarsson states why
the ISTAT Foundation believes it is
important to support students during
this difficult time:
" Supporting the DCU Access
Programme is an important milestone
for the ISTAT Foundation, as we
have been working toward securing
ties with more higher education
institutions outside of the USA. The
DCU Access Programme is a perfect
fit in many ways. Making aviationrelated university education accessible
to underprivileged young and bright

Foundation's recent support of the DCU
Access Programme:
" I am delighted with the partnership
between the ISTAT Foundation and
DCU on this important matter of D&I.
DCU has been the leader of inclusivity

students has always been at the
core of the Foundation's mission, so
we were delighted to be presented
with this opportunity. " Learn more
about the DCU Access Programme at
shapingthefuturestat.dcu.ie.
Jetrader

* SPRING 2021 * 3 5
http://shapingthefuturestat.dcu.ie
ISTAT Jetrader - Spring 2021

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