The Global Business student was selected from over 700 applicants for the scholarship, which was created thanks to a generous philanthropic donation from The Liffey Trust in 2023. Giada is the second DCU student to receive this award, worth €9,000 over the course of her studies.
The Liffey Trust was founded by Dr Séamus McDermott in 1984 to help potential entrepreneurs and community groups to establish themselves in Ireland. Over the past 40 years, the Trust has helped to build over 200 businesses, creating over 1,000 jobs. Continuing this support of entrepreneurship in Ireland, the Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship was created to promote the value of job creation, entrepreneurial development and education for life in the minds of undergraduate students.
The award was presented during the 2024 DCU Hack4Change event, at which over 700 students worked in teams to create innovative solutions on the theme of the circular economy. The event, which is part of the Learning Innovation for Enterprise (LIFE) module, gave first-year students a chance to tackle social challenges and share their ideas with industry speakers and mentors.
Speaking on the award, scholarship recipient Giada Mazzini said:
“I feel delighted to have won this scholarship. It strengthens my confidence in my ability to push myself even harder to accomplish my goals, despite many obstacles along the way. The scholarship will help me to support my studies, therefore it represents an investment in my professional life.”
Reflecting on the scholarship selection process, Dr Colette Real, Assistant Professor in Enterprise with DCU Business School said:
“The Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholarship was well-deservedly awarded to Giada Mazzini. Despite the intense competition during the selection process, Giada’s portfolio stood out. We look forward to seeing how her entrepreneurial ideas and plans develop.”
Speaking at the event, Aidan Corless, Chairperson of The Liffey Trust said:
“Giada has shown that she has what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur, recognising that hard work and belief in yourself are so important. In Giada’s words, “If you believe, you can achieve.” We were happy to see so many applications and we want to wish all applicants a successful future. The Liffey Trust promotes the concept of entrepreneurship, job creation, entrepreneurial development and education for life. Entrepreneurs are key to developing ideas and solutions to problems. We thank DCU for facilitating and advising on our Entrepreneurial Scholarship and now Giada can look forward to networking with the Dr Séamus McDermott Entrepreneurial Scholars in TCD, UCD, UCC, and the University of Galway.”
