Being part of the Laidlaw Scholars Research and Leadership Programme was an opportunity that has truly changed the trajectory of my college experience in so many ways. 

Capacities

Being in the scholarship helped me develop leadership skills across the three listed areas: people, process, and performance. The LEAD days, and the leadership retreat that we participated in as a cohort were vital stepping stones to getting there. The sessions that particularly stand out to me were the collaborative discussion-based ones, where we all discovered a little more about ourselves and what we believed in. Picking our core values out of a list in Carlingford, during our retreat, putting them on colourful sticky notes around the room, and talking about them will always be a fond memory! It was a visual representation of how deeply different leadership is for everyone - yet this diversity is vital.

 Developing Changemaker Values

The programme helped me develop the listed changemaker values - being ambitious, brave, curious, determined, extraordinary, fast, and good - primarily through the additional opportunities that I accessed through the programme. The impact of my scholarship, on me, went far beyond just the research and LiA summers. The work I did as part of the two helped me apply to speak at TEDxTrinityCollegeDublin and expand my involvement in college journals.  Laidlaw, for me, expanded my horizons - giving me the confidence to access opportunities that allowed me to actively practice the changemaker values. 

Character

The credit for the development of my character throughout the programme must be given to the incredible community that the scholarship has given me. Be it the endless patience of Kate and Darren, Trinity's Laidlaw Team or the feedback I received from David and Lynn, my research supervisors, or even the support I received from Azri and Azura - the lawyers I worked with during my LiA, the lessons in character I learned from my mentors will always stay with me. Especially valuable is also my time spent as a member of the Scholars' Advisory Board. Finally, of course, the other scholars! Be it the friends I made while on my LiA, the scholars I met during the conference, or the Trinity Laidlaw cohort of 2025, I am constantly inspired by the incredible work they do, the passion they have, and the kindness they show. The community that the scholarship has provided me with has truly helped me strive towards the listed goals of being a leader grounded in purpose, wisdom, humility, and integrity.