Caitriona Perry
Caitriona Perry: Let's Keep in Touch
BA in Journalism, 2002 / MA in International Relations, 2011
SixOne News Presenter, RTE
DCU graduate Caitriona Perry explains what DCU means to her and why she likes to keep in touch with the University. As an ambassador for our 2018 Let's Keep in Touch campaign, she is urging alumni to update their contact preferences to ensure they receive all the latest news and information on alumni opportunities from DCU. If you would like to keep in touch, click on the button below to update your contact details today.
What did your time in DCU mean to you?
My four year undergraduate degree in journalism gave me a wonderful starting point for my career. I left DCU with a great skill set and some wonderful lifelong friends. I loved it so much that I went back a few years later to do a Masters in International Relations part-time while working full-time! The student body is quite diverse and so you meet a lot of new and exciting people and the teaching staff are excellent and have a really progressive and dynamic approach to education.
Why are you proud to be a DCU graduate?
I like being able to say that I have a degree in Journalism and a masters in International Relations from DCU and know that those qualifications have real value. In Ireland DCU excels at those subject matters and is internationally respected too. Because DCU is one of the smaller, younger universities and is so dynamic in its approach to education, its graduates leave with an open-mindedness and a determination that sets you well on your chosen career path. The university has some great industry-linked programmes, supports entrepreneurial endeavours and equality and diversity and access to education for a broad student base and I'm so proud to be one tiny part of the story of DCU.
How have you stayed in touch with DCU since graduation?
When I moved to Washington DC for work I set up an alumni chapter there to connect with other DCU grads in the US. When you move somewhere and don't know anybody it's a good way of meeting new people that you had something in common with. I met a great bunch of people that way and it was fun swapping stories about the student centre, the canteen, the pubs of the area, the library and all these shared experiences we had although we had all been at DCU at different times studying different courses.
I also keep in touch with DCU by following the social media platforms, I help out with student societies where I can and still check my DCU email address for other updates!
Why do you keep in touch with DCU?
I take real pleasure in following the careers of other DCU graduates and seeing how successful they are, be it in the worlds of sport, business, science, media, whatever it is. The university itself punches well above its weight internationally and is groundbreaking in so many international fields and it gives me real pride to follow that progress and to say that I'm a DCU graduate.