Throughout my 2nd year of Business Information Systems in UCC, I was mentored by Colyn Murphy.
The mentorship is a partnership between UCC Disability Support Services and many firms here in Cork. Honestly, I didn't think I would get much out of a mentorship at this stage in my undergrad. I thought a 3rd year looking for placement or a 4th year graduating soon would find a mentor more valuable, but I was pleasantly surprised. Due to COVID-19 all of my meetings with my mentor took place online. Thankfully due to my experience working wholly online with D1Now this was not unfamilar to me. Straight away, Colyn and I hit it off, both being people from STEM backgrounds involved in medical devices. He gave me great insight into how Boston Scientfic as a company works and what makes them so successful.
This year I was focused on securing an internship for the Summer prior to my placement in 3rd year. This was where my mentorship really helped me in approaching interviews. I interviewed at many firms, Vodafone Ireland, Janssen, Colgate to name a few, and being able to talk to Colyn who had interviewer experience was a great resource. Interviewing is one of those skills that can only be mastered through practice so being able to run through questions with Colyn was of great help. I believe this was a direct contributor to my success in securing an internship and a part-time job this Summer.
The mentorship also opened more doors to me. I was able to sit in at some meetings in Boston Scientific, and attend classes on CV and presentation skills.
To my own surprise, I ended up teaching Colyn a lot about what it was like to be a DSS student today. What it's like to manage your health while also studying, and the difficulties students sometimes face in education. It was great to get to know Colyn Murphy and I believe he is someone I will continue to keep correspondence with as I continue with my education and career.