Connected Community

The UCC alumni community includes over 220,000 members living and working across the world. We are delighted to share highlights from recent alumni gatherings, as UCC graduates continue to build connections no matter where they are. 

We’d love to hear where you are based: Wherever you are in the world, please take a moment to update your details so that we can notify you of future events happening in your region. Stay connected with your UCC community and never miss out on exciting opportunities - see upcoming alumni events and gatherings here

New York, New York

Thank you to everyone who joined us in New York for a wonderful evening of connection, conversation, culture and community. It was a pleasure to welcome alumni and friends for a networking reception at AI One hosted by Professor John O'Halloran, President of University College Cork. Produced in association with University College Cork and the University of Notre Dame, guests enjoyed an exclusive screening of Daniel O’Connell: The Emancipator along with valuable insights from Director, Ruán Magan. The evening provided a great opportunity to reconnect, build new professional relationships, and strengthen the UCC alumni network in the city.

Big Business for CUBS 

Cork University Business School (CUBS) celebrated a major milestone recently, marking a decade of impact alongside its achievement of triple international accreditation, an honour held by less than 1% of business schools worldwide. To celebrate, an event brought together business leaders, alumni and key stakeholders from across Ireland and beyond. As part of the evening, CUBS hosted its inaugural Alumni Impact Awards, recognising graduates who have made outstanding contributions over the last decade through their leadership, entrepreneurship, and positive impact. The award recipients were Sophie Healy-Thow (Founder of Act4Food, a global youth-led movement dedicated to transforming food systems), Ryan O’Neill (CEO and Co-founder of LegitFit, an all-in-one gym management software platform), and Emerald de Leeuw Goggin (Global Head of Privacy & AI Governance at Logitech).

Women Leading Change: From AI Innovation to Food Culture Conversations

The UCC Women Graduates’ Association brought thought-provoking conversations to campus this spring across two engaging events. Siobhán O’Leary, CEO of The Institute of Applied discussed women’s contributions to AI, from the pioneering work of Ada Lovelace in the 1800s to the codebreaking women of Bletchley Park and the ENIAC Six programmers in the 1940s, right through to the groundbreaking achievements of Margaret Hamilton, Grace Hopper, Fei-Fei Li, Timnit Gebru and Joy Buolamwini.

In May, award-winning chef, writer, speaker, founder and UCC alum, Orla McAndrew, held an engaging and inspiring discussion on food culture, sustainability, hospitality and modern life.  Orla is a passionate advocate for better food systems and is a leading voice in the conversation around food waste, circular economy practices and the cultural role of hospitality in modern Ireland. 

With special thanks to guest speakers Siobhán and Orla for their time and to the committee of the UCC Women Graduates’ Association for hosting these events. Interested in getting involved with the UCC Women Graduates’ Association? Reach out to secretaryuccwga@gmail.com.

Keep Connected

• Missing out on invitations to events in your area? Update your alumni profile so that you receive event invitations that are relevant to where you are based.
• Social calendars were full to mark UCC’s 180^th year with plenty of events taking place on and off campus. Browse photos from these past events in the The Bridge magazine.