We were delighted to see two of our third level BITE students' stories highlighted in recent weeks in national newspapers. Katelyn, DCU, told the Irish Independent all about her time juggling school work with her part-time work in DCU, and Rickwang, TU Dublin, spoke to the Irish Times about how he drifted after COVID but how several people in his life including BITE encouraged him to apply to and go onto third level.

Both Katelyn and Rickwang highlighted in their stories how the Leaving Certificate points system doesn't determine your future, with Katelyn saying:

"I'm determined to do well and am so happy that I managed to get to college. At one point it seemed like it was going to be too hard for me to achieve my goal, but I really believe that anything is possible. If I could give advice to anyone else who is back where I was and is thinking that they might not get the results that they need in their Leaving Cert, I would say that they shouldn't worry.

The Leaving Cert isn't really that big of a deal - and at the end of the day, if you manage to pass it, then you can do whatever you want as there are lots of other ways of getting in the back door to do what you want to do. And even if you don't pass there are options out there. I also think that doing a PLC is a great idea as it really helps people with the transition to secondary school to college.

It has taken a lot of hard for me to get where I am today, but it was so worth it."

Computer Science student in TU Dublin, Rickwang also shared similar sentiments to Katelyn and the Leaving Cert not being the be all and end all.

"I wanted to go to Trinity College for Business and Computer Science, but I didn't get the points - and looking back, I'm actually glad I didn't. Going to TU Dublin was one of the best things that could've happened to me.

Sometimes, not getting what you want pushes you to create something better. And I think that's where the real growth happens - so if you don't get the points you wanted in the Leaving Cert, honestly, don't panic. It's not the end of the road - it's just one part of the journey. "

Both these students give back to BITE weekly running a coding club and supporting junior cycle students with their studies. We are are so proud not only of how far they have gone but how much they have given back at the same time.