Adam Daly is a PhD student in DCU School of Psychology whose research focuses on cancer survivorship, health and culture. Here, he shares how philanthropic initiatives have supported his educational journey, from school outreach to his doctoral scholarship. With less than 1% of doctoral students coming from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds, the Deloitte Access PhD Scholarship seeks to remove barriers to success and support talented students to pursue research careers.
“I think my mam always saw college as a way to have a better life. It was important to her that we go and get the best education we could and make the most of the opportunities available to us. It certainly hasn’t always been easy, with cancer heavily affecting my family over the years – but now my siblings and I all have a college education.
I went to secondary school in St Vincent’s, a DEIS school in Glasnevin, where I was lucky enough to take part in a lot of initiatives with the DCU Access Outreach Programme. We had programmes around coding and filmmaking, and even on how to apply for college and supports like the SUSI grant and the DCU Access Programme. Learning about those supports made college a real possibility for me and I think in many ways, because of those opportunities, DCU already felt like home to me.
I applied to study Psychology in DCU because I wanted to help people and facilitate positive change. Although I just missed out on the points for my course, I was able to qualify on reduced points through the HEAR scheme. For that reason, I would have felt quite academically insecure in first year, like everyone else who came from potentially more affluent backgrounds or people who had gotten the points must be doing better than me – but the constant support and encouragement of DCU staff and lecturers have genuinely changed my life.
During my undergraduate degree, I had incredible opportunities to follow my ambitions and participate in international research in culture and health psychology. I won four research grants, including from the Irish Cancer Society and Breakthrough Cancer, published three research papers, and I already have more research in the works.
My most recent paper with Dr Simon Dunne and Dr Johannes Karl is a qualitative study of tattoo artists’ perspectives on therapeutic tattoos for cancer survivors. Many cancer treatments can lead to a disrupted body image and identity. There’s a wide practice of therapeutic tattooing for cancer survivors, yet it’s an under researched area. My study aimed to identify tattoo artists’ perspectives on therapeutic tattooing for cancer survivors, and the impact on them of doing this work.
This year, I was awarded the Deloitte Access PhD scholarship, which entirely funds underprivileged students to pursue a PhD. This scholarship will help me to continue building a career researching cancer survivorship, health, and culture, and it’s an opportunity I could not have imagined myself having four years ago.
“It’s such a privilege to be able to continue my work and to seek the answers to all the questions that I have. I wouldn’t have been able to achieve all of this without the supportive and welcoming environment of DCU and the DCU Access Programme, both of which have helped me to realise my ambitions.”
Over the years, the DCU Access Scholarship made a massive difference to me. It gave me a chance to really take part in college life and make friends, make memories. I worked throughout my time in college and had many late nights because of it, but that extra financial support meant I could cut back on work hours during exams to focus on studying, and make the most of my time in DCU. It meant I had someone in my corner the whole way through college.
I feel like I’ve gotten an awful lot from DCU, and I wanted to give back. That was one of the reasons I ran for the Students’ Union and other campus positions, and I’m really proud of what I was able to achieve in these roles. I think I’m most proud of establishing the Access fund, a pot of money set aside for Access students who would like to take part in Club and Society activities but can’t afford to cover the cost of participating. I also worked with my colleagues to get a motion passed in the national students’ union to do more research into the engagement of Access students in extracurricular activities. As well as this, I’ve established the DCU Access Society, one of the first societies of its kind in Ireland, which creates a social community for Access students coming to college. Due to this work and advocacy, I was awarded the President’s Award for Engagement in 2023.
I think that it’s important to acknowledge that this has all only been possible because of the support that DCU and the Access Programme have been able to give me. DCU as a whole has been extremely welcoming to me and others from underprivileged areas.
“I really believe it’s a place where anyone can succeed with enough ambition and hard work.”
I hope that I’ve been able to give back and leave my mark on DCU, and I hope that I’ve made it even a little easier for other Access students to leave theirs.”
