Local Fintona girl Megan Mullan has been awarded the highly prestigious JP McManus Scholarship. The All Ireland Scholarship Scheme, funded by JP McManus, provides financial support to high achieving students. Megan a former student at South West College, Omagh Campus, received the Top Student of the Year Award on the BTEC Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care in June. This achievement was a key factor in her application success.
Megan said; “Words cannot describe what winning this scholarship means to me. I didn’t expect to win at all. The scholarship will undoubtedly contribute vastly to my educational abilities and will help a great deal with student finances, a major issue for a lot of students. I am overjoyed and honoured to get selected and it will definitely drive me on to succeed in the future.
I loved my BTEC course at South West College; I found the material really interesting and the lecturer’s great, very supportive. I am so glad that I have achieved this and I know how proud everyone is for me. I am currently studying a Bachelors Honours Degree in Early Childhood Studies in Stranmillis University in Belfast. It is all very new and exciting. After this I intend to complete a Post Graduate Certificate of Education which will allow me to achieve my long term goal of becoming a primary school teacher”.
Helen Mills Lecturer at South West College said; “Megan was a dedicated, hardworking student during her 2 year course. Within the classroom she excelled at all her subjects. The teaching team at the College are all really pleased that Megan's application was successful; someone with her drive and ambition is very deserving of such an award”.
6 out of the total 25 scholarships are awarded annually to the top BTEC Extended Diploma students from Further Education Colleges in Northern Ireland. The Scholarship winners receive financial support each year for the duration of their undergraduate degree course, a huge financial boost.