'Younger Kyle would be proud': Cork student overcomes adversity to celebrate Leaving Cert success

Cork student Kyle O’Connell reflects on overcoming stereotypes, financial struggles, and identity challenges to achieve Leaving Cert success

Kyle O'Connell from Gaelcholáiste Mhic Shuibhne in Knocknaheeny with his principal Phil O'Flynn after receiving his Leaving Certificate results.

“Without a doubt, I’ve faced challenges like financial struggles and a tough environment, but to me, those hardships have only created more room to grow and push myself further.” 

Those were the words of one Leaving Certificate student whose battle with adversity made him determined to do everything in his power to succeed.

Kyle O'Connell from Knocknaheeny on Cork City's northside was celebrating on Friday after getting his results, which included a H2 in Irish, a H3 in English, and a H4 in French.

The above quote is from a scholarship application Kyle made to University College Cork (UCC) to study international business with languages.

The application details were shared by Kyle's proud principal Phil O'Flynn, from Gaelcholáiste Mhic Shuibhne in Knocknaheeny.

In the application, the young man also wrote: “I’d like to think that younger Kyle would be proud of who I’ve become. 

If he stood before me now, quiet and uncertain, I’d tell him he’s so much more than the cruel names the other boys sling at him, more than their simple words could ever define.

"Throughout my life, I have always felt a slight disconnect from the people and world around me. 

"Growing up queer has often made me feel like an observer of the world rather than a part of it."

He said while others moved freely, "I learned to listen, to notice, to understand the shift of a glance or the weight behind a word."

"That disconnect, though lonely, sharpened my senses," he wrote. 

"As I walk around Cork City, I see things others overlook. Quiet moments of beauty, tension and possibility are all around us. 

I’ve found a quiet kind of understanding, and a perspective that feels uniquely my own.” 

After collecting his results, Kyle told the Irish Examiner how he often felt restricted by damaging stereotypes, even about growing up in Knocknaheeny.

“There are often negative connotations attached to the place where I come from," he said. 

"People are individual and unique, which makes it so wrong to write off a whole area. I can understand because I’ve lived here all my life.

"I understand how much these expectations can restrict people, especially the younger generation. I saw this disadvantage, however, as an opportunity to overcome."

He said growing up with those struggles helped him develop an appreciation for other things in life that have allowed him to get to know himself more than the average person would.

"I think in life you have to come through these times in order to find out who you truly are. Otherwise you won’t feel fulfilled. 

"I would not be the person I am today, had I not experienced those struggles. I think that success is subjective and individual from person to person. People need to find that fulfilment however they can in life."