Poor: Grit, courage, and the life-changing value of self-belief

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By the end of third year I had found my feet. While I would never fully belong in TCD I knew by then I was good enough. I got to know all the catering staff, all the cleaners and all the builders during my nine years as a student and three years as staff. These were and still are my people. As a research student, I began to flourish and by the end of third year I was achieving high 2.1s for all my work and felt confident I would pass my degree. The book helped. She likes herself now. “I think I’ve always liked myself, though. What’s really sad about growing up is that I can clearly remember being a young girl, alive to the world, inquisitive and bright, like all kids are but, unfortunately, I was born in this community where I wasn’t given an opportunity to flourish.” She feels now, nearly four decades on, closer to that girl, before the weight of neglect, predatory men, fear and low expectations crushed her. “Like, I’m alive again.” Later, I’d refuse to go on access visits; I remember crying and saying I didn’t want to. I just wanted peace, I wanted safety and the rights to my own body. My mum didn’t provide that. Our life with her was full of mayhem and pain.

I nominate Katriona for this, she knows everything, and is not afraid to speak her mind”. It’s second year and the psychology class are nominating a class rep who can represent them at staff meetings. I look around, I see nodding heads. I smile and think to myself “they are nominating me as class rep. I swear a lot and still dress like a chav, but they see me”. It feels good. It is society that loses, she points out. “We’re missing talent, vibrancy and creativity. Because I’ve been empowered, I have been able to change my life, my children’s lives. I’m not costly any more to the state. I’m not doing all of the things that happen when you live in poverty. The people who are making decisions are clearly very educated and yet they don’t seem to have the long-term lens on what investing in reducing poverty can do.”

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Dr Katriona O’Sullivan: ‘Biology, physics, chemistry, philosophy, psychology – I loved everything.’

Fast forward seven years and I had achieved my all-time goal; I was a lone parent, I lived in a government-assisted flat in Dublin 1, and I was getting my social welfare. My child was doing his best and so was I. I had a cash-in-hand job cleaning Connolly station. I woke at 6am every morning leaving my son John in bed while I walked to the station and cleaned the dirtiest office you have ever seen in your life. I had it all. But still, I couldn’t shake the feeling of “is this really it?”

Cliona Hannon;Katriona O’Sullivan; (2018) 'Responding to the Global Access Challenge'. Actionable Research For Educational Equity And Social Justice, . [DOI] At night we would sit, all of us in the care home, around these round tables, and they would bring us good nutritious dinners and glasses of milk and a pudding. We love a rags-to-riches story, and we love to see someone triumph through sheer determination. But the story is rarely that simple. My story isn't, anyway.' higher education, with students who have entered university through the Higher Education Access Route (HEAR). The