From struggling in school to Trinity scholarship: One woman's story of educational success 

Slaney Cox and her daughter Lucy. Slaney did 12-hour stints in Trinity College library to ensure she did her best in her nursing course.

A nurse who received one of the most prestigious academic scholarships in the country has praised the support she received from a programme that works with students at risk of leaving education.

Slaney Cox, from South Dublin, is currently working on a post-graduate degree at Trinity College Dublin (TCD) after becoming a recipient of the Foundation Scholarship, or ‘Schols’ in 2019.

The School Competition Programme (SCP), which operates under Tusla Education Support Service (TESS), recently marked 20 years of service.

While in school, Slaney worked closely with the targeted support programme.

She went on to finish her undergrad at Trinity as a foundation scholar, with a first-class honors in nursing and received a gold medal from TCD for exceptional merit.

"My education is going great but when I was in secondary school, I never really imagined any of this for myself,” Slaney said.

In secondary school I really struggled a lot. I had mental health issues and that meant I didn’t engage with school, with my friends. I was really withdrawn which is where the SCP came in.

Slaney says that "SCP really just reigned me back in, gave me responsibility and allowed me to develop my skills and emotional intelligence.”

 “That I think is what got me here today and helped me to finish secondary school. What really worked for me is that I didn’t associate SCP staff as a ‘teacher’. It was like a headspace break, and I think that’s what I needed.” 

She also completed extracurriculars after school with the SCP, which included working with horses at an equine centre.

“That was really good for me because I had anger management issues and I knew I couldn’t have those issues around the horse because the horse would get worked up. I would also do programmes in the summer time, often working with other children who were identified as at risk of leaving education but were coming into secondary from primary.” 

Slaney says: "It was everything combined – the therapies, the interventions, and I think it all married into one. Once I saw that the SCP staff trusted me, I trusted myself, I finished school on a good note.” 

After struggling so much in secondary school, I took some time off and I had a little girl, Lucy, she’s now seven. It was her birth that made me think, I really need to get back into education.

 Slaney completed a QQI Level 5 in pre-nursing which allowed her to go on to Trinity with mature student entry.

“My first year in Trinity was great, and I discovered I had a really good talent for research. My tutor advised me to sit the foundation scholarship exams.” 

The exams take place the first week of January. “You have to devote your whole Christmas to study. I was doing 12-hour stints in the library but it paid off.”

Slaney says: “Just the accolade itself is amazing, I have signed the book of scholars along with people like Mary Robinson, WB Yeats and Bram Stoker.” 

Slaney is currently working on a post-graduate in aging with the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and hopes to go to Masters level next year