Grace Finlari has become the first Sanctuary Scholarship graduate from South East Technological University’s (SETU’s) Waterford campus.
SETU is currently working towards University of Sanctuary status, and with that in mind, SETU offers a number of Sanctuary Scholarships to refugees, asylum seekers and other migrants each academic year.
On Friday, Grace, who is originally from Cameroon, was applauded as she received her BA (Hons) in Accounting from SETU under the University of Sanctuary initiative.
“In my tribe, girls were expected to help with household tasks and were often married off at a young age. My family struggled to make ends meet, and the nearest school was miles away,” explains Grace.
From the age of nine, she harboured a much bigger dream to become an accountant and to provide a better life for entire family.
“My brother lived here for a few years and tried and failed to bring us here. In 2018 my sister and I had the opportunity to join my brother in Waterford through the family reunification programme. This unwavering support would soon lead me on this remarkable journey,” says Grace.
From the outset, Grace said her desire for education “burned brightly,” and she knew she had to find a way to overcome the obstacles in her path.
“There was a huge language barrier when I got here. We speak English in Cameroon, but Ireland has different vocabulary, different grammar and the accent was different. It was a big challenge to understand, but the more I spoke English the better I became," she says.
"By God's grace and my family's encouragement, I began my educational journey. I walked to the nearest school each day - Waterford College of Further Education - to study a business studies course and I graduated with distinction.”
From there, Grace was accepted to study a BA (Hons) in Accounting at SETU in Waterford and was supported in her studies by SETU’s Sanctuary Scholarship Scheme.
“Having the scholarship was of huge help to the family. I also secured an internship at Deloitte under their graduate program.," she explains.
Graduating from SETU means to the world to Grace.
“I am grateful for the different support SETU placed at my disposal so I could graduate. I am grateful for the friends I met at SETU, for the amazing lecturers, and for the opportunities they provided. I am thankful for the support from the SETU Sanctuary Scholarship Programme, as they sponsored my first and second year of college,” Grace states.
A special reception was held for Grace and her family in advance of Friday morning's conferring ceremony at SETU Arena.
Meeting SETU President, Prof. Veronica Campbell was considered a real honour by Grace and her extended family, who joined her for the celebrations.
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