Maynooth student Kerrie has Tokyo 2020 target

Going to university opens the door to a world of possibilities for new students, but the transition from school, further education, the workplace or home can be a challenge. The first couple of months at third level can leave new students feeling overwhelmed. 
This can be particularly true for students from under-represented backgrounds, such as students with disabilities, mature students, Travellers and students from areas of social or economic disadvantage, who often experience a range of additional challenges in the transition to higher education.  
Universities and colleges have long been concerned with improving access to higher education but are increasingly focussed on what works for supporting students through and beyond third level. 
Step forward the Launchpad Festival of Possibilities, a three-day ‘fresher’s festival’ for 900 new Maynooth University students and 600 of their supporters. Co-designed and jointly delivered by staff and undergraduate students at Maynooth University Access Programme (MAP), the festival aims to foster a sense of connection and belonging at the university by introducing new students and families to the campus, signposting supports, providing guidance and reassurance and highlighting the many exciting sides of student life in a fun and inter-active environment. 
The festival kicks off on Thursday 5th September with events including the Traveller Living History Exhibition with tours of a barrel top wagon, tinsmithing and fortune-telling demos, ‘Caint agus Comhrá’ at the Pop-up Gaeltacht with sean-nós singing and folklore, Circus Skills workshops, a Mobile Planetarium, Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) and Mega Do-jo workshops, a Green Campus tour and an introduction to the many personal, academic, financial and social supports available to students at the university.  
Friday 6th focuses on getting to know the campus and meeting academic staff who will share practical tips to help students make informed decisions about their course and subject choices when term starts. Saturday 7th concludes the festival with a focus on mindfulness and wellbeing. 
Students will also have a chance to reflect on the experience of beginning university and write a letter to their future selves, outlining their hopes and fears as they embark on their undergraduate journey.  The letters are posted back to the students when they graduate.  
Dr Rose Ryan, Director of Access at Maynooth University says:  “We are delighted to welcome 1,500 students and supporters to Maynooth University this week. The University has a long-standing commitment to access and inclusion and the Launchpad Festival of Possibilities is a wonderful demonstration of this. While the numbers of students from under-represented backgrounds coming to the university has grown tremendously in the past decade, students increasingly come with wide-ranging and complex needs. The festival is a great way of celebrating their achievement, fostering friendships, showcasing the best of the student experience and front-loading supports in a fun and welcoming environment.”   

Kerrie Leonard is from Culmullen and grew up on a farm. She has been a wheelchair user since the age of six, having been injured in a farm accident.  She began her undergraduate studies at Maynooth University in 2012. She has a passion for all things equine and chose a degree in equine business, combining her business acumen and passion for horses. During her time in Maynooth she also competed internationally in archery, being inspired to do so after working at the London Paralympics in 2012.  Kerrie credits her parents with being an incredible support to her saying they are always encouraging and were very open-minded. Though she failed to qualify for the Paralympic Games in Rio, Kerrie has her eyes set on Tokyo 2020.  
Kerrie has many passions; she is a horse breeder, a photographer and an international archer.

On disability, she says: “I have grown up with it and it gives you a very different perspective on life…some of which has to do with the fact that I have to look up at everyone! It isn’t who I am but it has made me who I am. I don’t sweat the small stuff because there are far bigger and badder things out there.”