This much I know: Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin
I failed a trigonometry test in the Leaving Cert Christmas exams, but was lucky enough to meet up with some classmates with whom I started to study. Talking through the work with them, I got it in a way I hadn’t been able to do in class. I got a C in the mocks and an A in the Leaving Cert. I often tell young students that story because I think it’s important to know that mathematics, like all other subjects, takes practice. I believe that talking through mathematics and working on challenging questions helps you learn.
I thought I’d study communications but our career guidance teacher Sister Mairéad encouraged me to consider a maths-based course. I travelled up to UCD on my own for an open day, meeting lecturers who are now my colleagues. I was still worried I ‘wasn’t good enough’, but I was really interested in topics like astrophysics and fluid mechanics.
