Family fights for Jessie’s college dream

As Jessie Silva hugged her Leaving Cert class friends at the Mount Convent School in Limerick they all sang out: “We’re all going to college, we’re all going to college.”

Jessie’s proud mother Cida looked on, both made eye contact and almost spontaneously they broke down in tears.

Jessie’s pathway into third-level education is far from certain, even though she had secured the points she needs to study biochemical engineering at the University of Limerick.

Jessie, 18, moved to Ireland from Brazil 11 years ago with her sister, Nally, now aged 19, and brother Thiago, 22.

Their father Joel had found work in Limerick the previous year and Cida moved here with the children in 2001.

The children quickly settled in and began to do well at St Nessan’s primary school, picking up English in a matter of months.

The family worked and studied hard.

Thiago, who has an intellectual disability, surpassed all their expectations and got into Limerick Institute of Technology, where he is doing internet studies. Nally followed into third level, and went to UCC studying midwifery.

Jessie wants to go to UL. But as she celebrated her results on Wednesday, she knew there would be a battle ahead if she was to achieve her ambition.

Joel and Cida are categorised as migrant workers and none of the family has an Irish passport. When the first two children got accepted into LIT and UCC, the Silvas were saddled with massive fees as they were deemed international students.

Cida said they were told Thiago would have to pay total yearly fees of about €9,600. The college agreed to drop its charges and as a result their son’s college costs this year will come to about €5,600.

When Nally got into UCC to do midwifery, Cida said her total fees for her first year would have been €16,600. However, after talks with the college, she too will pay the reduced European student fee of €7,000.

Cida said: “Last year we got €2,000 from St Vincent de Paul in Limerick towards her college costs and we got €600 from the Catholic chaplaincy at UCC. We got €2,000 from the Hear fund set up by the Government. So, in all, we got €4,600 in supports for Nally.

“Now we are faced with the whole uncertainty again with Jessica. I will have to knock on every door. I can’t give up because I believe as a mother I must help my children to further their education. Now to ensure Jessie realises her dream, we have to start all over again.”