2023 winners

Future Business Leader Award 2023, sponsored by Aldi Ireland

Kate Henshaw

Kate Henshaw, Trinity College Dublin, Sociology & Social Policy

Kate is a final year sociology and social policy student who is currently writing her thesis on the online misogyny suffered by journalists and politicians. She is the current Deputy Editor of Trinity News, Ireland's oldest student newspaper. She has previously served as News Editor and Assistant News Editor for the paper. She is also the Correspondence Secretary of the College Historical Society and organises their weekly Chamber Debates on a variety of topics. Kate works part time for Spotify, helping the Content Safety Analysis team create and maintain policies on moderating misinformation and hate speech on the platform. Through this role she has developed a strong knowledge of trust and safety in the tech space.

Finalists:

Aoibhín McGarry | Trinity College Dublin
Cliona Jordan | Dublin City University
Courtney Shannon Hefferon | University of Galway
Ellen Coughlan | University College Dublin
Jack Burke | Technological University Dublin City Campus
Jack Loughrey-Grant | Trinity College Dublin
Jack Quinn | University of Galway
Sintija Santa Cica | Atlantic Technological University, Galway
Tom Keavney | Maynooth University

Difference Maker Undergraduate of the Year Award 2023, sponsored by Chartered Accountants

Ciara O’Flynn

Ciara O’Flynn, University of Limerick, European Studies

Ciara is a final year European studies student at the University of Limerick, with a passion for achieving positive change through cross-community work. She leads Anytime of the Month, a social enterprise which alleviates period poverty and stigma through an array of initiatives in communities across Ireland and the UK. Ciara is a founding member of the University of Limerick Student Sustainability Hub, which engages students in sustainability initiatives. She believes that we can be the change we want to see in this world, by leading with compassion, and respect. Ciara believes that these qualities are key to securing a prosperous, equal, and sustainable future for us all.

Finalists:

Undergraduate of the Year for Innovative Sustainable Thinking Award 2023, sponsored by Deloitte

Con Maher

Con Maher, University College Dublin, Sustainability with Environmental Science

Con is studying a BSc in sustainability with environmental Science at UCD. He is enthusiastic about sustainability and making a difference. Con also has a keen interest in business. Growing up in the beautiful countryside of Wexford has taught Con the great value of the natural environment around us.

Finalists:

Female Undergraduate of the Year Award 2023, sponsored by Diageo

Caitlin Chee

Caitlin Chee, Queen's University Belfast, Product Design Engineering

Caitlin is an MEng Product Design Engineering student who is passionate about sustainability and innovation. She will be participating in her university's Future Leaders program in Boston in the summer of 2023. She is then set to take part in a 3-month Mitacs Globalink Research Internship program designing an ankle rehabilitation exoskeleton at the Polytechnique Montréal. Caitlin has helped to develop a business idea for mycelium (mushroom) leather as a sustainable alternative to animal leather to improve sustainability in the fast-fashion industry. She is a STEM ambassador who is passionate about inspiring younger generations and promoting females in engineering. In her free time, Caitlin volunteers in her community with international students and children’s summer camps. She enjoys photography and is studying Korean.

Finalists:

Undergraduate of the Year for Opportunity Through Adversity Award 2023, sponsored by Fidelity International

Aisling Maloney

Aisling Maloney, University College Dublin, Marketing and Sales

Aisling is a second-year law with politics student at UCD. She is a Senior Access Leader with Access and Lifelong Learning, where she works to improve access to higher-level education. Aisling volunteers as the First-Year Promotions Officer and Productions Officer at the UCDSU, as the Social & Design Coordinator of the Intervarsity Law Summit and as a committee member of the L&H, Politics Society and LGBTQ+ Society. She aIso works with organisations such as the National Youth Council of Ireland, SpunOut, Youth Work Ireland and Plan International.

Finalists:

Adam Morgan | Dublin City University
Alan Donnelly | University of Galway
Daniel Collins | Atlantic Technological University, Galway
Henok Dems | TUS Athlone Campus
Kathleen Cosgrave | Trinity College Dublin
Nicola Young | University College Dublin
Olamide Obadina | Trinity College Dublin
Salisa Atthaisong Quigley | University College Dublin
Yu Tong Wang, Business and Law | University College Dublin

Engineering Undergraduate of the Year Award 2023, sponsored by Jacobs

Ciara Dillon

Ciara Dillon, University College Dublin, Mechanical Engineering

Ciara is a final-year mechanical engineering student at University College Dublin. Ciara chose to study engineering because she felt that it would be the field in which she could make the biggest impact Shespent a year at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where she participated in numerous societies and clubs Last summer, Ciara completed a three-month internship with Mavericks Endo, a small medical device start-up in Silicon Valley. Here, she had the opportunity to become fully immersed in the R&D of medical devices and learned how to design, prototype and problem-solve. She is particularly interested in minimally invasive healthcare technologies, such as wearables and cardiovascular devices.

Finalists:

Undergraduate of the Year for Innovation Award 2023, sponsored by Jameson International Graduate Programme

Aisling Cleary

Aisling Cleary, Atlantic Technological University, Galway, Marketing and Sales

Aisling Cleary is a 22-year-old marketing and sales student at Atlantic Technological University Galway. She describes herself as ambitious, driven and always up for a new challenge. Aisling has maintained a 1:1 for the last four years whilst working full-time. She has worked alongside the Irish Cancer Society and pitched a new Breast Cancer campaign targeting young students with her team members. Aisling and her team devised the "Daily Dare for Your Pair" campaign, a calendar of dares for the month of October. The campaign's dares were inclusive, active and creative. Thecampaign raised over €1000 in four weeks and reached 3000 accounts on social media.

Finalists:

Future CTO of the Year Award 2023, sponsored by TikTok

Sara Hippmann

Sara Hippmann, Trinity College Dublin, Mathematics and Economics

Sara is a second-year mathematics and economics student at Trinity College. Her course aligns with her interests in problem-solving, strategic thinking and searching for efficient, creative solutions. She has received the Louis Kennedy award for the best annual mathematics result. Her time at university has also allowed her to develop her interest in data science. She has experience working on data analysis projects as a trainee at a consulting firm. This gave her the opportunity to manage projects, provide guidance and coordinate presentations as a team leader. She hopes to develop these passions further in the future.

Finalists: