Former student of Mayo school wins major scholarship
Pictured at the presentation ceremony were, from left: Carmel Naughton; Robert O'Reilly, Principal of St Mary's Secondary School, Ballina; Beth Fair; Minister Jack Chambers TD and Dr Martin Naughton. Picture: Kieran Harnett
A former student of St Mary's Secondary School in Ballina has been awarded a Naughton Foundation Scholarship, valued at €25,000.
Beth Fair was presented with her scholarship on Saturday, October 18t, at a ceremony in Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin. The award was presented by founding patrons of the Naughton Foundation, Dr Martin Naughton, and his wife Carmel, who were joined by Minister Jack Chambers TD to present winning students with their awards and cheques.
Supporting academic and innovative excellence in Irish students, the Naughton Foundation Scholarship Awards are an investment in the future of Ireland's reputation as a country with outstanding graduates promoting the study of engineering, science, and technology at third level. Beth has accepted a place at Dublin City University where she will study engineering.
Since its establishment in 2008, the Foundation has presented more than €8 million in scholarships to over 450 young people in publicly-funded institutions across the island of Ireland. The scheme started in three counties and has continued to expand annually to become a nationwide scheme in 2016. There is one guaranteed scholarship (€25,000) for each participating county, with some counties awarded more than one scholarship and each scholarship is worth €6,000 for each year of a student’s three or four-year undergraduate degree.
Beth joins 37 other exceptional Irish students who were awarded third level scholarships towards their studies in the areas of engineering, science, technology, and maths. The prize winner’s former secondary school, St Mary’s Secondary School, was awarded a prize of €1,000 towards their school’s science facilities, for their support of their winning student.
Speaking about the growth and development of the programme over the past 17 years, Dr Martin Naughton commented: “Both Carmel and I are delighted by the growth of this programme and the incredible community of alumni who are doing extraordinary work in education, research and industry at home and abroad. Today we are delighted to welcome a new cohort of wonderful young people to join this group and to support and encourage them. When we meet these young engineers, researchers, and mathematicians, I am very happy knowing that we have invested in Ireland’s wealth creators and leaders of the future."
