Four events, four cities, five days! DCU International Chapters St Patrick’s Celebrations - USA
It was a busy week of St Patrick’s Celebrations again this year, virtually visiting three different DCU US Chapters in three different states across a few days in the lead up to St Patrick’s Day 2021, and a networking event for the inaugural Alumni Emerging Leaders Programme.
In normal times, the Alumni team would would be meeting graduates face to face in the Consulate in San Francisco, the Consulate in New York, or even the Founding Farmers Restaurant in Washington D.C., this year was the first of its kind - a virtual celebration for these three Chapters and in addition, a new St. Patrick’s event, to deepen the DCU ASU partnership.
Each event opened with our Master of Ceremonies, Leanne Hanafin (BA in Communication Studies, 2019), followed by a wonderful performance of Irish music, an update from the President, Prof Daire Keogh about DCU and our 2021 Sunday Times University of the Year. Following that was a panel discussion and a networking opportunity with all graduates on the Business Sector, Building the DCU Network and Digital Transformation / Hybrid Working.
San Francisco Panel Discussion
On Friday last, 12th March, Consul General, Robert O’Driscoll (MA in International Security and Conflict Studies) hosted DCU graduates based in San Francisco and Seattle, with a panel discussion including fellow graduates, Director of Public Relations and Communications at Olson Kundig, Ciara Cronin (BA in International Business and Languages) and Senior Vice President of Portfolio and Product Development Strategy at Genentech/Roche, Rhona O’Leary (PhD).
On Tuesday morning, 16th March, the East Coast celebrations took centre stage for the Washington D.C. Chapter virtual breakfast. RTE’s Washington correspondent Brian O’Donovan (BA in Communication Studies, 2002) shared his student experience with attendees, highlighting the impact of clubs and societies on preparing him for the world or work.
Washington D.C. Panel Discussion
Again, we heard from Alumni who volunteer as the Chapter Ambassadors for Washington D.C., Niamh Bennett (BA in Transatlantic Studies, 2011), who is the Director of Marketing at ActiveNav, and Susan Doyle (BA in Communication Studies, 2008), who is the Global Head of Communications for Tech and Data at Bloomberg.
Later that same day was the DCU & Arizona State University St. Patrick’s Celebration.
DCU & ASU St. Patrick's Celebrations
The event was led by graduates on the DCU Emerging Leaders Programme - Emily Carroll, Eoghan Rackard and Aoife Grady. It also included a musical performance, Irish language lesson by Paula Melvin, a networking opportunity with ASU graduates, a quiz hosted by Liam Kane of the DCU Alumni Office and an update on DCU/ASU partnership.
Speaking on the partnership between the two universities, PhD candidate, Katie Keogh says:
"Celebrating our national holiday provided the perfect backdrop to connect with alumni from the ASU Thunderbird School of Global Management. This vibrant online engagement deepened the ties between alumni from our two great universities, furthering the partnership and creating new opportunities. The foundations laid during this gathering support one of the key objectives of the DCU Alumni Emerging Leaders Programme to broaden our international connections for success."
New York Panel Discussion
Finally, on Tuesday evening, we concluded the East Coast Celebrations with the New York International Chapter.
Vice Consul General at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Dermot Fitzpatrick (BA in International Relations, 2009), and Vice President of the Irish American Partnership, Clodagh Boyle (BA in Communication Studies, 1999) joined the panel discussion.
For the first time at our Chapter events, we had two generations from the same family - 2020 Alumni Awardee, John Martin joined the event with his son and current DCU Journalism student, Devin, and also Clodagh Boyle joined with her father, Donal Boyle, who graduated from the St.Pats Class of 1969.
Speaking on the events, Chair of the Alumni Council, Marian Corcoran said:
“It was great to see the warmth and engagement of the Alumni who participated in the International Chapter events. The attendees represented multiple backgrounds within the DCU family ranging from graduates of NIHE through to very recent graduates. The power of connection, of networking and of the appetite to stay part of the DCU Alumni family was clear. So was the challenge to keep reaching out to our Alumni and finding ways to keep that valued life-long connection. We have a tremendous opportunity to strengthen and sustain the friendship of the global Alumni Community through these international chapters”.