Six Laois students have been recognised at the Trinity College Entrance Exhibition Awards at ceremonies held in the University throughout the week.
The Trinity College Entrance Exhibition Awards recognise academic achievement of new undergraduate entrants to Trinity College Dublin.
They are awarded to the student accepted into the first year of a full-time undergraduate degree programme who achieves the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school.
Many former awardees have gone on to make a significant contribution to the economic, cultural, and political life of Ireland and beyond. Past Exhibitioners include former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
The students come from 452 different schools and from 30 counties on the island of Ireland as well as 38 countries overseas.
The awards were delivered at three ceremonies at Trinity’s Old Dining Hall, starting on 21 January 2025, to which the students and their school principals were invited.
Three of the winners sat their Leaving Cert in schools in the Portlaoise area.
Bartosz Kupisiak is originally from Portlaoise CBS, Emma Fingleton is a past pupil of Scoil Chríost Rí while Mariya Petrushkova is formerly of Portlaoise College.
Mariya, who is now studying Clinical Speech and Language Studies at Trinity College with the goal of qualifying as a speech and language therapist, received the prestigious accolade in the presence of her former principal, Noel Daly, who attended the event to show his support.
Speaking after the ceremony, Mr Daly expressed his pride in Mariya’s accomplishment:
He said: “Mariya’s dedication and hard work have been truly inspiring.
“She exemplifies what can be achieved with focus and perseverance, and we at Portlaoise College are delighted to see her talents recognised at this level.
“Mariya’s achievement highlights the strong academic tradition at Portlaoise College and serves as an encouragement to current and future students aiming for excellence.”
Colaiste Iosagain had a winner in the shape of John O’Kane-Shortall Coláiste Íosagáin while Sarah Cuddy, formerly of Mountrath Community School, was also recognised.
There was one further Laois winner when Etienne Thompson from Coolrain received her award at the ceremony on Tuesday.
Etienne attended school in Newbridge and is studying Medicine at the famous university.
Trinity’s Provost, Dr Linda Doyle, said: “I am delighted that the award winners have chosen Trinity College Dublin for their higher education.
“My own experience of going to university was absolutely transformative and I want nothing less for our students.
“I encourage them to avail of all that life in Trinity has to offer, from the top-class academic environment to the huge array of clubs and societies, all of which are situated in an outward-looking university with a strong international perspective.
“I also want to acknowledge the huge role played by school principals and the wider school community in nurturing the talent of these students.
“This year, our Principals’ Forum, taking place alongside the Entrance Exhibition Awards, is focusing on the challenges and opportunities of Artificial Intelligence, which I hope they will find very useful.”
Students who achieve the highest points among Trinity entrants from their secondary school with at least 500 points in the Leaving Certificate (or its equivalent EU/EEA second-level final examinations) are eligible for an Entrance Exhibition Award.
This includes bonus points for Mathematics. When more than one student from a school get the same high points, all receive an award.
The Entrance Exhibition Awards were awarded to 372 students from Leinster (236 from Dublin), 84 from Munster, 51 from Connacht and 40 from Ulster.
Awardees receive a certificate and a €150 book token. Congratulations to all of the winners.
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