Alumni Stories

In a practical sense, my languages have proved to be a real asset since graduating from UCD in 2018. German was my foot in the door for my current place of work, Lidl Ireland, and I've had plenty of opportunity to speak and deal with the language as I've progressed within the company. Without the skills I developed during my time at the School of Languages, Cultures & Linguistics, I can't imagine having progressed to, or performing in, my current role of Sales Organisation Project Manager. My degree also gave me a lot of key skills useful in any workplace, from presenting and project work to research and organisation skills. Also enriching was the cultural awareness that I gained over the course of my BA. Through the International Modern Languages programme, I gained exposure to and, along with it, a true fascination with a wide variety of cultures and linguistic traditions. My Erasmus year at FU Berlin between 2016 and 2017 was also an invaluable experience, as much for practical reasons as for personal ones; not only did I improve my standard of German and Spanish there, but I also personally broadened my own horizons massively. I'm now free to pursue a variety of professional and academic interests in future, all thanks to the time I spent at UCD, and for that I am truly grateful."

Seán O’Keeffe (German and Spanish, 2018)
Now working as Executive Officer for the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.