Chancellor's Medal awarded to Education graduate, Clare O'Keefe

Clare, from Athy, Co Kildare, joined DCU as a mature student and graduated in November 2020 with

a first class honours Early Childhood Education degree.

From the beginning, Clare engaged with the new programme and impressed with her knowledge of the programme and her enthusiasm

for the sector. She was voted Class Representative in third year and was unanimously re-elected by her peers in fourth year.

She negotiated with the National Student Union body, was innovative and persistent in connecting with student groups, and also co-ordinated an intense communications campaign.

Clare became an advocate for the early childhood sector and undertook her final placement in SIPTU, where she went beyond the expectations of an undergraduate and published the first ever SIPTU national survey of early childhood students, which was published in September 2020.

Clare’s citation read: “Clare embodies the kind of educator we want to graduate from DCU Institute of Education programmes - educators who are engaged, committed, who champion the improvement of whatever sector they work in, and who advocate for learners of all ages, and for their professional colleagues. This combination makes her a very worthy recipient of this award.”