A young man whose father walked thousands of kilometres from Nigeria to Angola seeking a brighter future was among students awarded funding for Stem courses on Thursday.
In Dublin’s Silicon Docks, Taoiseach Micheál Martin presented 40 students from under-represented backgrounds with scholarships to study courses focusing on subjects such as AI and cybersecurity.
He said a strong pipeline of talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (Stem) is “paramount for the future sustainability of our society and economy”.
The scholarships – worth €5,000 per year for up to five years – were awarded as part of the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics programme.
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Recipients included members of the Traveller community, students who have been in State care, students with disabilities and refugees.
The Insight Scholarship Programme, supported by funding from Google.org and co-ordinated by Dublin City University, is the largest scheme of its kind in Ireland and comes with a funding package of €1.5 million.
University of Limerick student Rafael Junior Okafor was born in Limerick and is the first in his family to attend a third-level institution.
His father emigrated on foot from Nigeria to Angola, where he met his mother.
“He always had a dream to bring his children to Europe because he didn’t want us to suffer like he had. He wanted us to grow up, have a future, have a chance,” Rafael said.
“My parents are proud and in a way this is their dream for me to do something, you know, to do well in life. I feel like I owe it to them.”
He added that the scholarship will motivate him as his education continues.
Adda Fatima is studying economics and computer science in Trinity College, having been brought by her mother to Ireland from Pakistan when she was just three years old.
Her brother was already in Dublin studying to be a mechanical engineer.
She said she is very proud to represent a minority group as part of the Insight initiative and is upbeat about her prospects.
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“I think that this will give me a really good opportunity and will motivate me to step out of my comfort zone and try different things and do my best in everything I do,” she said.
The chief executive of Insight, Noel O’Connor, said the organisation wants to empower “critically aware, creative communities towards a better society for all”. He said this can “only be achieved if we tackle societal inequalities in Stem education”.
Google Ireland’s vice-president of engineering, Jessica McCarthy, said the scholarship programme offers “key support” for students from diverse backgrounds to shape the future of technology.
