Higher Options provides students with a unique opportunity to gather information about their third-level options and attend career talks on a wide range of topics. This year, the exhibition will take place from Wednesday, September 17th to Friday, September 19th in the RDS.
With many speakers participating in discussions over the three days, it’s important to plan the talks you’d like to attend in advance.
Here’s a small selection of who you’ll be able to catch at the exhibition.
Dr Abigail Ruth Freeman
Currently the director of research for society at Research Ireland, Freeman is a frequent voice in the media and is currently a weekly contributor to The Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk radio. She has also held a number of positions at Science Foundation Ireland including director of strategy and communications and director of innovation, communications and education.
RM Block
In 2024, she received the Women in Stem Award for Science. She worked as a researcher for Trinity College, and holds a BA (Mod) and PhD in Genetics and a postgraduate Diploma in Statistics from the university, where she was also awarded the foundation scholarship, the Eli Lilly Chemistry Prize and the Roberts Prize for Biology.
Her talk at Higher Options will interest anyone thinking of a career in science and IT.
Lorraine Regan
Working as a staff interpreter in the English booth at the European Parliament since 2008, Regan interprets into English from French, German, Spanish and Dutch. She is currently studying Irish again and hopes to add it to her language combination within the next few years.
After obtaining a BA in Applied Languages from DCU, she worked in Germany and France for several years, before training as a conference interpreter at the University of Westminster. Since then, she has spent study periods in Spain and the Netherlands to expand her language combination.
For anyone looking towards Europe, this is the perfect talk to attend.
Artur Banaszkiewicz
Thinking about studying abroad? Artur Banaszkiewicz, the founder of StudyMedicinePoland.com, has been advising and guiding international students since 2010. He has worked with thousands of students from Ireland and across the world pursuing medicine, density, nursing, veterinary medicine and health sciences in Poland.
He is also interested in community activism and policy and has served as an adviser to the Polish embassy in Dublin. He contributes to the HSE AI Implementation Group and the Irish Platform for Patient Organisations, Science & Industry.
Dr Tanya Dean
Dr Tanya Dean is a lecturer in drama and programme coordinator for the BA (Hons) in Drama (Performance) in TUD’s conservatoire. She completed her Doctor of Fine Arts with Yale’s School of Drama in 2016, where she also received her Master of Fine Arts in Dramaturgy and Dramatic Criticism in 2011.
Dean has worked as a freelance dramaturge on many scripts, workshops and productions in Ireland, Britain, the United States and Iceland. She is a board member of the Rough Magic Theatre Company. She has previously served as a judge for The Irish Times Irish Theatre Awards, and is currently the script associate for the Abbey Theatre.
If you are considering a career in the arts, you can catch her at Higher Options.
Akanssha Suresh Prabh
For those interested in careers in business, Akanssha Suresh Prabh will be a popular speaker at the event. The inaugural candidate of the IACT Graduate Programme, which involves working in treasury across three different companies, she is currently working as a group treasury intern at ESB, following her initial rotation with Kellanova. She will soon be transitioning to FTI Treasury.
She holds a MSc in Finance from Trinity College Dublin and a BA in Corporate Economics from Women’s Christian College, Chennai.
Apprentices and further education and training learners
For those interested in apprenticeships and further education and training (FET), in partnership with Solas, a number of apprentices and FET learners will be discussing their experiences in a wide range of courses, from pre-university law courses to software development apprenticeships.
Chatreen O’Connor, an electrical apprentice, is open about her experience as an apprentice and a woman working in the trade. She is passionate about being a female apprentice and sharing her experience online through her “Added to Her” personal platform and through the Building Heroes Ireland campaign.
Holly O’Brien missed out on her preferred CAO course by a small number of points. She completed a pre-university law programme in Drogheda Institute of Further Education and successfully gained progression to her preferred degree, law in Trinity.
Other speakers include Peter Duffy, a recent graduate of the Original Equipment Manufacturer Engineering apprenticeship with Tumerc, and Jack Yeates, a graduate of a software development apprenticeship.
