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I worked for a week in the tax department of Ernst and Young, a financial services company based in Dublin City Centre.

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Ernst and Young, Harcourt Street, Dublin City Centre

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This was my first time working in an office environment so it was a very valuable experience. I found that it definitely wasn't what I expected, the atmosphere was very relaxed and casual and the team I was working with had a great dynamic. This made me more open to working an office job in the future.

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Inside of the office

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The best part of the week I spent working there was definitely the people I was working with. They were so friendly and welcoming and there were a lot of young students there on the EY graduate program. Having someone a few years older than me around who could help me out and give advice was wonderful and definitely made this experience all the more enriching.

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I spent 2 weeks in April working for Communicorp Media, a media company that owns some of Ireland's most popular radio stations- Spin1038, 98FM, Today FM and Newstalk

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Communicorp Media, Digges Lane, Dublin City Centre

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I got to partake in many aspects of working in radio. I went out with the Spin1038 street team to hand out free maltesers to people walking down Grafton Street. I nominated local businesses for the Best of Dublin awards with 98FM's promotional team. I wrote interview briefs for Saoirse Ronan and Rob Kearney. I sat in the studio and watched live broadcasts being recorded on 98FM and Newstalk. In summary, I had a very busy and fulfilling two weeks

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98FM studio

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Spin1038 promotional cars

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The experience of working in a more unconventional environment was great and I liked being on my feet instead of sitting at a desk all day. The opportunity to go behind the scenes of some of Ireland's most popular broadcasting channels is one I value a lot and I loved seeing how the magic of radio happens

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I spent an amazing week in London working at the global headquarters of AMS, on of the world's biggest outsourcing and recruitment companies

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A skyscraper in London

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While I was there I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to employees in many different departments- outsourcing, assessment, marketing, human resources, talent acquisition- and find out what their jobs involve. i also got to sit in on a few board meetings and was given a research task to test out job assessment platforms. My favorite part of the work experience was visiting their investment banking client site at Merrill Lynch.

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Banks of America Merrill Lynch, King Edward Street, London

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Charing Cross

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Not only was it enriching to work in the AMS office, I also got a good experience of what it's like to work in London. It's one of the biggest and busiest cities in the world, with millions of people commuting to and from work every day, and it felt amazing to be a part of all that. I really enjoyed my time there

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Royal Exchange

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This year I was lucky to have the opportunity to visit the city of Madrid with my Spanish class. While I was there I got to experience some of the best parts of this gorgeous city, and practice my Español.

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Rowing on the lake in Retiro Park

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On our first day we got a short walking tour of the city. We saw Puerta de Sol, Gran Vía, the royal palace, the ancient roman ruins, the marketplace, the Plaza de España, we even saw Ratón Perez- the Spanish version of the tooth fairy. Our tour guide had lived in Madrid all her life and not only did we learn all about it's rich history, but we also heard some of her childhood stories about growing up in Madrid.

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The Gherkin

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Gran Vía

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Puerta de Sol

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Plaza de España

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Royal Palace

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On our second day we took a cooking class to learn how to make traditional Spanish dishes. As a group we made gazpacho, paella (seafood and vegetarian), Spanish omelets and tarta de santiago

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Cooking class

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My plate of food with seafood paella and Spanish omelet

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Tarta de Santiago

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On the third day of the trip we went out to Toledo, a beautiful Spanish city renowned for its history and architecture. In the day we spent there we saw the Monasterio de San Juan de los Reyes, the Toledo Cathedral, the Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca and the famous El Greco painting, the Burial of the Count of Orgaz in the Iglesia de Santo Tomé.

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Toledo Cathedral

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Synagogue of Santa María la Blanca

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Monastería de San Juan de las Reyes

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El Greco's The Burial of the Count of Orgaz

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Me in Toledo

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On our way to the ski slopes and the hotel we would be staying in, we stopped for a few hours in Milan to see the sights, get some food and do some shopping. Milan is a beautiful city and I spent a really fun afternoon there

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Me and some friends in Milan

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Duomo di Milano

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Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II

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A delicious Italian lunch

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We started out our skiing adventure by doing some practice before we got on the slopes- stopping, turning, slowing down, speeding up. It was tough going at first but great fun once we got the hang of it. In five days my group went from falling over on the green slopes to skiing all the way down a red slope with no accidents at all. I'm really proud of how much we progressed in the short time we had, all because we were willing and eager to learn and we were very much in sync as a team.

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Ski lift

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Looking good in goggles

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Beautiful view of the mountains

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Ready for a day of skiiing

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As well as having fun on the slopes, we also went ice skating and go kart racing on an ice track. It was great to do these winter activities with all of my school friends because we rarely get to do this kind of thing as a year group, also I got the hang of the ice skating much quicker than I usually do!

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On the second night of our transition year outdoor pursuits trip in Larch Hill we went on a hike around the Wicklow Mountains. The hike was tiring but the view was beautiful from the hills and the laughter and talking that was going on the whole time made it worthwhile.

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Travelling through the hills

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We could see all of Dublin down below us

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After our hike we arrived in a campsite where we were given the responsibility of setting up our tents. After a lot of messing and many failed attempts we finally got all the tents set up. In the evening after dinner we roasted s'mores around a campfire and settled down for a night of sleeping in tents under the stars.

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Our field for the night

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A fun camping experience with friends

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The tents we set up

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The main focus of this trip was for us all to grow closer as a year group, which is why over the few days we were there we took part in several team building exercises. We did obstacle courses, downhill sledding and high ropes (this was the highlight for me). Unfortunately it was so windy and stormy that some of the outdoor equipment got damaged, but we made up for it by playing Chinese whispers, paranoia, and various other indoor games.

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Team bonding

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We were pros on the high ropes

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Some of us needed a little help

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On our last night the whole year group went to a bonfire together. We had the traditional camping experience- singing campfire songs, roasting marshmallows, playing music and dancing all night. It was the perfect end to what had been an amazing trip. I had never felt so connected to the people in my year before then and it definitely pushed me to develop new friendships with new people later in transition year.

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On the first day we hiked 24km from where we got off the bus to the campsite through the Wicklow Mountains. The journey was long and hot an exhausting, and by the time we got there we were ready to collapse. On the way we got cloud, rain, hail, sunshine- like all four seasons in one day- and the weather definitely kept us on our toes. But hiking uphill and downhill all day isn't so difficult when you have friends around you to talk to and that's definitely what kept me going on this outdoor adventure.

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We had a heavy load to carry during the hike

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Some sheep enjoying the sunshine as we walked by

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When we got to the campsite, tired but fulfilled from our full day of walking, we learned that we would be preparing our own dinner that night. We began with a starter of hot dogs cooked by some members of our group over a portable camping stove, while the others were busy chopping vegetables for our main course. We all lined up to put together our meal which was a selection of potatoes, gamon steak, vegetables, and quorn chicken nuggets. We wrapped up our food in tinfoil and cooked it ourselves over hot coals. After a satisfying handmade meal, we had the traditional campfire desert of s'more roasted on sticks over a fire. I'm really glad that we cooked our own food that evening because it was a fun part of the camping experience and the group morale and team-bonding was definitely elevated when we all worked together to make something. It was a very rewarding end to a tough day.

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A handmade meal cooked on hot coals

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Having a nice little barbecue

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Marshmallows roasting over the fire

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The second day of hiking was mercifully short compared to the previous day. After a long, cold night of (not enough) sleep, we set off in the morning. It was less than half the distance we had walked the last day but it wasn't any easier. It was all uphill for the first half as we traveled towards the peak of Djouce Mountain. But the beautiful view and great picnic spot on the top of the mountain made it all worthwhile. The journey down the mountain was a breeze and we ended the trip sitting outside a sunny café in the town of Lara. It was a perfect end to this experience.

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For my Gaisce community action, I worked four hours every sunday from 12am to 4pm in my local St Vincent de Paul charity shop.

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St Vincent de Paul charity shop in Fairview

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The work I was doing was pretty simple. I was sorting through clothes to see what was good enough to keep, tagging the clothes about to be put out on the shop floor with a label gun, and helping out the odd customer.

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The inside of the store

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What made it enjoyable for me was the people (which, as I'm finding, was often the case with my TY experiences). I always looked forward to a cup of tea and a nice chat while I worked every Sunday, and even though the other employees were all quite a lot older than me, I never found it difficult to connect with them.

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I had the amazing opportunity this year to be part of the EUE program in DCU, as part of CTYI (which I've been involved in since I was eight years old)

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This campus is a second home to me

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The course I chose to do was Irish Politics and Law. Some of the highlights of the semester were our presidential debate- I was representing Team Michael D. Higgins- and our mock trials- I acted as a barrister defending someone accused of armed robbery. I had a lot of fun in the class, especially because it was the same course material as a regular college class, which gave me a feel for what university education is like- and I have to say I can't wait.

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Being productive in class

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For the second semester I did US politics and constitutional law. The discussions and debates we had in class were very interesting, very stimulating and, at times, very entertaining. It was especially interesting having down the Irish politics course and being able to contrast the Irish and American political culture and party systems. Another highlight was arguing over whether or not robots deserve rights in a constitutional law lecture

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Erin, taken by Kate

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Some of the amazing friends I made this year

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My time at DCU this year has been very enriching and has me looking forward to what the future will bring in terms of education and learning. I'm also very proud of the results I got at the end of the course- particularly my first class honors in politics- because it shows how hard I've worked over the year and the dedication I had to the subjects I was studying.

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For the transition year history module I had to write a speech about a famous Irish person buried in Glasnevin cemetery as part of a tour guiding competition.

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There are more people buried here than are alive in Dublin City

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The monument to Daniel O'Connell

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Sunlight hitting the graves in Glasnevin Cemetery

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The person I chose was Margaret Skinnider, an often-forgotten 1916 rising soldier who acted as a sniper during the rebellion. I enjoyed researching Margaret's life story (she did have a very interesting life) and figuring out how best to honor her in my speech. I am proud to say I represented this brave and honorable woman who fought for her country well, and I have been chosen out of all my classmates to go back and speak in the final round of the competition.

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My hero Margaret Skinnider

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Margaret's grave

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I'm very excited to represent my school in this competition and hopefully bring back an award in the name of Sutton Park School. Especially, in public speaking, something which I've always been confident in my ability of.

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A view from the slopes

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On the way from our hotel to the ski area

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The hotel we stayed in

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My certificate of completion for the skiing course

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Making s'mores around the campfire

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Our last night together

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On our way up

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View from the top of Djouce

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Carnaby Street