My name is Chloe Staunton.

I graduated from Trinity in 2022 with a BA in Business and Sociology. It was the happiest day of my life.

There are so many important people I have to thank for helping me on that journey, especially Trinity alumni.

The amazing support that I received from alumni didn’t just make it possible for me to earn a degree in Trinity, it helped me to become the person I am today.

I see the leadership and support that I received as a gift – a gift I am trying to pass on to as many other students as I can.

That’s why I’m so proud to share my story with you as part of the Trinity Alumni Fund appeal and to ask you to please support this appeal in any way that you can.

I literally wouldn’t be where I am today without the help I received from Trinity alumni and supporters.

I am now a graduate and I am working with the Student2Student Counselling Services here in Trinity – trying to make sure that other students can get the same support and opportunities that were once given to me.

When I look back, it’s incredible to think how far I have travelled. I don’t think the shy and timid 15-year-old me would have even thought it possible.

I was born and raised in Westport in County Mayo. Growing up, I always had the dream of going to university. One or two of my cousins had gone away to university, and it seemed so exciting.

But when I was a teenager, there were a few challenges I had to face. I became very sick. I was eventually diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. Then, when I was about 15, I was diagnosed with a benign pituitary tumour. I tried to focus on the word ‘benign’ but my condition did require me to have a lot of checkups, take a lot of medication and have regular MRI scans.

It all came together, and it probably affected me psychologically and emotionally as much as it did physically. It affected my concentration and my ability to take things in, which impacted my studies significantly.

Going to university was such a big goal for me. But I knew, due to the challenges I was facing, I would have difficulty securing a place in my chosen course.

That’s when I first learned about the Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) programme and the supports that alumni help to put in place specifically for students like me – who need a little extra support and assistance.

I can’t begin to tell you how much that support meant to me. It wasn’t just the fact that the support I received made it possible for me to go to Trinity.

It was the fact that someone had recognised that I might be having difficulties, and took the time to put that support in place.

That gave me a profound sense of being seen and understood.

If, like me, you are lucky enough to be a Trinity graduate, I’m sure you remember your first day in Trinity. I’ll never forget mine. The campus was bursting with excitement. It was amazing.

From the moment I walked into Front Square, I was made to feel so welcome and made to feel that I belonged here.

I was greeted by a second-year student from my course, who became one of my Student2Student mentors. This is a brilliant programme where students volunteer to act as a mentor and guide to new students entering Trinity.

My Student2Student mentor was a lifeline for me. They were always there whenever I needed them to help and advise or simply just to listen.

I was also immediately informed about the full range of  student supports that alumni help to fund.

There is accommodation support for students who can’t find a home. There are bursaries and extra academic supports for those who need them. There is even a Hardship Fund, which provides financial support to students in need.

There is also Trinity’s Disability Service which provides a whole range of supports for students living with a disability as well as students, like me, who have a long-term illness. The team in the Disability Service were such a help to me. They thought of everything – even down to arranging smaller venues where I could comfortably sit my exams.

I now know that all of the life-changing student supports that Trinity offers to students like me, are made possible by the kindness of alumni.

The donations made by alumni also help to fund our Student Counselling Services. At the heart of this amazing service is the Student2Student (S2S) Mentorship programme, where I now work.

I have seen how important the Student2Student Mentorship programme is, both as a student and as a volunteer mentor, it helps students to find a sense of belonging and build friendships that can last a lifetime.

That’s why I am hoping that you will continue to fund those supports by making a donation to the Trinity Alumni Fund today.

Because there are so many students who really need your help.

After I graduated, I spent a Sabbatical year working as Welfare and Equality Officer for the Students Union here in Trinity. In that role, I met so many students who were under financial pressure.

The emotional stress that comes with those financial needs can be overwhelming. It impacts a student’s academic performance. It stops them becoming involved in the college community. It affects everything.

In my work now with the Student Counselling Services I can see how high the demand is for the service. As Trish Murphy, the Director of our Student Counselling Services says, “Loneliness and isolation are very real problems facing students today. Without immediate, accessible, professional help many of our students simply would not be able to cope, let alone complete their studies.”

That’s why your support is so important.

However, what I really want to stress is that the impact of alumni support goes far beyond just financial assistance.

I know this because it was the support of alumni that made it possible for me to become the person I am today.

There’s one moment where that became really clear to me.

I was in fourth year and I was running in the Student Union elections. It was the day of the first hustings and I was about to give my speech. I was so nervous. But in that moment I realised just how far I had come.

When I first came to Trinity, I had absolutely no self-confidence. Now, four years later, I was about to make a speech to a room full of people explaining why they should vote for me.

I realised then, that all the support that I had been given, all the belief that alumni and so many other people had shown in me, had brought me to this moment and made this possible.

The truth is, sometimes you need someone else to believe in you, for you to start believing in yourself.

Trinty alumni taught me what real leadership is.

It’s not just about showing the way forward. It’s about taking the time to guide and assist the people who are following you. I carry that philosophy with me. It’s the reason why I am working in the Student Counselling Services today.

I am so honoured to have been asked to be part of this Trinity Alumni Fund appeal and to have the opportunity to ask you, please, will you give another young student the same opportunity alumni gave me by making a donation today?

You’ll never know just how many people or how many lives you are inspiring.

With my deepest gratitude,

Chloe Staunton,

BA Business and Sociology (2022),
Student2Student Executive Officer