My mum set up her own business 40 years ago and I’ve always tried to help out. In 2018, I became a company director while studying in college. I’ve really enjoyed it, one really feeds into the other, you learn about academics and the practical sides of business and how the world of work works.
I started a bachelor of arts in International Business here at UL in 2018.
I’ve had a great experience in kind of a unique course. It is one of the only courses in Ireland where you can really choose your modules on a semester-by-semester basis. Rather than having to major in one or two subject areas, I was able to pick and choose subjects that took a fancy to me.

Why do some shareholders in the Republic's largest private residential landlord feel shortchanged?
With the International Business programme, I was able to choose from a variety of different subjects, such as enterprise creation to management consulting and sustainability, personal branding, and organisational behaviour.
Owen Doyle: Conflating cheating with ‘character’ will make refereeing rugby impossible
From 20 cigarettes a day for 55 years to finally quitting: ‘I took it up thinking I was the big man’
EV Q&A: Why can’t I have a swing-out arm for kerbside charging in Dublin?
Alpine A290: an EV that will have you smiling and giggling on almost every drive
Those diverse subjects are what appealed to me. Some key things that are built into the programme are areas like communication, strategy and management. Now I’ve gone on to do a master’s and that was the right path for me, I’m absolutely loving it. — Shauna Bowers