Cork native Laura Russell is a first officer with Aer Lingus, an aerobatic stunt pilot and a flight instructor. In 2023 she made history after becoming the first Irish woman to compete at the World Advanced Aerobatic Championships in Las Vegas. We talk to Laura about ‘taking the scenic route’ in her flying career; a typical day as a pilot for Aer Lingus; and the many inspirational women she has met along the way.

Professor Jack Gleeson graduated from medicine in 2012 and completed his medical oncology training in Ireland through the RCPI. He was later awarded the Irish Society of Medical Oncology (ISMO) Advanced Oncology Fellowship award in 2018 to undertake a fellowship in Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. 

Róisín Maher is Artistic Director of Finding a Voice, a classical musical festival that celebrates International Women's Day by showcasing "unforgettable music by remarkable women". Founded in 2017 by Róisín and her sister Cliona, the festival has featured music by hundreds of women composers, from the twelfth-century nun Hildegard of Bingen to newly commissioned works by Irish composers. 

Sunil Belur Nagaraj is the Chief Scientific Officer at Australian medical device company, Cortical Dynamics. An expert in neurology, he has significantly advanced medical technology through his research. 

Winnie M Li is an author and activist. Her latest novel Complicit was a New York Times’ Editors’ Choice, listed among the Best Crime Novels of 2022 by The Irish Times, and shortlisted for the Royal Society of Literature’s Encore Prize for outstanding second novel. A Harvard graduate and George Mitchell Scholar, Winnie studied at University College Cork and later worked as a film producer before her life was disrupted by a violent stranger rape in Belfast in 2008. Inspired by that experience, her debut novel Dark Chapter was translated into ten languages and won The Guardian’s Not The Booker Prize.

Patrick Byrne (B.Soc.Sc. ’97) From UCC Library to art therapy, Patrick Byrne’s journey is one of creativity, compassion, and courage. After two decades supporting students on campus, Patrick now works as a freelance art psychotherapist, blending his academic roots with personal healing. He talks to us about his memories of UCC and the therapeutic role of art in recovery.