At UCC, great ideas can come from anywhere. The UCC Alumni Fund is a result of the collective generosity of alumni and friends, whose many individual contributions come together to create meaningful impact. Through the Fund, students, staff, and faculty are empowered to bring forward project proposals that enhance the UCC student experience in meaningful ways, going beyond the scope of the government grant, which unfortunately does not go far enough in funding the urgent needs of the university and our students.

Sinéad de Búrca is in the second year of her BA in World Languages at UCC studying Irish, French, and Italian. A Gaeilgeoir, poet, and active member of an Chuallacht Ghaelach (the Irish Language Society) and the French Society, she is a remarkable student whose works have been published in collections like ANAM Filíocht, Iris Breac and Fighting Words’ Analecta.

The Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship is a competitive award designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurial thinking among first-year undergraduate students. It was introduced to UCC in 2023, with Hugo Guenebaut being chosen as the inaugural recipient.

Jumoke Afolabi graduated from UCC in 2023 with a master’s degree in nursing. Originally from Nigeria and now living in Dublin, Jumoke works as both a general nurse and registered children nurse. Apart from her academic and clinical activities, she is very passionate about community engagement. She volunteers supporting local projects and contributing to programmes that promote wellbeing and social connection.

Kate Wilkinson (nee Harrington) from Bandon, County Cork, met her now husband Tony through a mutual friend when they were both living in London. They were going out together a few months when they realised that they had met about two years earlier through the same friend. As it turned out, second time’s the charm.

Deirdre Jordan, one of UCC’s more than 40 dedicated alumni mentors, graduated from UCC in 2005 with a BSc in Nutritional Sciences and currently works as a director in a global pharmaceutical company. An active traveller, exerciser, and host, she also enjoys personal and professional coaching, which drew her to the UCC Mentoring programme last year.

Rowan Heaphy BA 2011 is an International Brand Manager with Mavinia in Shanghai where he also lectures at Shanghai International Studies University. A graduate of European Studies at UCC, Rowan volunteers as an International Alumni Leader with UCC’s Alumni Chapter in China and is Vice Chair of the Irish Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

Cancer research has already transformed outcomes for many patients—turning once life-limiting diagnoses into manageable conditions through advances in diagnosis, therapies, medicine, and more. Building on this progress, a new Cancer Research @UCC initiative aims to take a bold next step.