The unicorn company Fenergo is to provide a scholarship over five years for on of this year’s incoming Trinity Access Program (TAP) students.
The scholarship, which is being spearheaded by two previous TAP students within the company, is to provide a bursary as well as funding their five years of education within College.
Two previous TAP students within Fenergo spoke to Trinity News last week about the Fenergo sponsored scholarship.
Craig Cahill, who is a senior partner solutions consultant within Fenergo, previously studied psychology at Trinity after completing a year within TAP. He stated that he looks “really really fondly” back on his time in TAP.
“I think that any time between the ages of 18 and 21 can be very tumultuous for anybody,” he continued. “I look back on [my time in TAP] quite fondly, as it has shaped me and made me the way I am today.”
Ian McLoughin, who is the director of client solutions for EMEA region in Fenergo, previously studied science within Trinity, following his year with TAP in 2007.
McLoughin stated that his time in Trinity and TAP was “really positive”, and that TAP “really set you up for what it was going to be like for the next four years”.
The student in receipt of this scholarship will be chosen from the pool of incoming TAP students, who will be interviewed by TAP and Fenergo upon expressing interest in the opportunity.
Speaking about how the scholarship came about, Cahill added that when himself and McLoughlin started working together in Fenergo after previously meeting through TAP, they started to discuss the possibility of providing a scholarship to a student in TAP.
Cahill said: “We thought it would be great to give back to TAP, to create an avenue for an individual who wanted to pursue a career in business, technology or law, or maybe all three. You get to combine those three areas in Fenergo.”
McLoughlin added that he “really appreciated what [TAP] had done for me throughout my academic career, and even beyond that”.
“I just feel like I come from a disadvantaged area, and I would love nothing more than to see young people and students coming from areas such as mine to go on to third level education and to have the same opportunities as I did,” McLoughin added.
“The scholarship is going to be life-changing for somebody,” he continued. “It just means that they can focus entirely on their studies and on their goals without actually having to think about money.”
“It will really enable them to excel and succeed in their course and throughout their undergraduate degree.”
The student who is chosen for this scholarship will have the opportunity to pursue an internship within Fenergo, if they wish to throughout or after their degree.
“It will be a conversation and a discussion,” Cahill continued. “Maybe that person may want to plough ahead themselves and love the idea of the option of coming to work for Fenergo or coming to get experience with Fenergo.”
“By no means do they have to do anything they don’t have to come work for us [if they attain the scholarship],” Cahill explained. “We’ll be there to nurture them and their career going forward.”
McLoughlin added: “It is going to be the best five years of your life, inclusive of TAP and your undergraduate degree. Really immerse yourself in everything Trinity has to offer and everything TAP has to offer.”
“You are being an opportunity. It is even rarer to be given an opportunity like this, so take it with both hands,” McLoughlin continued. “We will give everything we can once that student gives everything they can.”
Fenergo is the digital enabler of client and regulatory technology for financial services. It provides “client lifecycle management” software solutions for financial institutions including corporate and institutional banking, commercial and retail banking, asset management and private banking.
McLoughlin continued that he “hopes” other companies with previous TAP students will also consider providing these types of scholarships in future.
“We are setting a benchmark in terms of providing this scholarship, and hoping other companies and other students of TAP would see the benefit of actually giving scholarships of this nature.”
The Trinity Access Programme (TAP) offers entry programmes to Trinity for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is an additional year before a student begins their bachelor degree.
