Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

This is where we connect with past pupils and find out what they’re up to now.

Thsi week we linked with Megan Barrell who graduated in 2019.

Name and position:

Megan Barrell, about to start first year of International Communications and Media at Erasmus University in Rotterdam.

Lives:

Switzerland, but I’m moving to The Netherlands in August.

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

I only joined SHSS in 5th year in 2017, and I think some of my best memories are from the very beginning. I was lucky to go into the most wonderful year group, and everyone was so welcoming and kind! I always look back fondly at how easily I settled in, and how quickly I realised I had made friends for life.

What were your favourite classes?

Definitely music, there were less than 10 of us in the class, we always had a good laugh and I honestly made some of my best friendships in that class!

Tell us about your career progression to date:

After graduating from SHSS in 2019, I went straight on to studying Arts at University of Limerick. I chose French, Spanish, Psychology and New Media, but I quickly realised that the course and the college were not the right fit for me. I dropped out that October, and moved back to Switzerland, where my parents were living, and where I had lived before moving to Clon in 2017.

I spent a few months trying to get a job and figure out what I wanted to do next, and then in March 2020 we went into lockdown. At this stage, I had applied for some Events Management courses throughout England and Scotland, and had accepted an offer to do Events Management with Spanish at the University of Hertfordshire.

However, as September approached, we were still in the midst of a pretty strict lockdown, and I didn’t want to start college being stuck in my room taking lectures online, so I deferred.

I then managed to get a job in my old school, an international boarding school, here in Switzerland. I was working with the students who were returning to Switzerland after the holidays, and had to quarantine before being allowed to move into their boarding house. I really enjoyed that work, and in February 2021, I was offered a job as a boarding assistant in the same school. I started working full time in the actual boarding house, and I absolutely loved it. I always swore I would never work in education, but I loved it so much that I considered staying on another year!

However, over the course of this year, I also started to reconsider my university options. I had applied for a course in Cork, Communications and Media Production studies, but it was cancelled. Luckily, I had a backup. I had always been interested in studying in a new country, so I had been looking into mainland Europe, and The Netherlands caught my eye. I applied for a few courses in different universities, and ended up accepting an offer from Erasmus University Rotterdam, to study International Communications and Media, which I will be starting this August!

If you weren’t in the job you have, what would you be doing?

I love languages, so I think I would’ve enjoyed going into translation.

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Everyone is always too focused on themselves and their own lives to care about what you’re doing, so don’t waste time doing what you think other people want/expect you to do!

Favourite quote or motto?

“Discomfort is not dangerous”

I’ve learnt that stepping out of your comfort zone leads to the most growth, and the best stories!

What is your hidden talent?

I have a high score of 86,000 in Tetris...

Huge thanks to Megan for taking the time to answer our questions!

See you soon for the next instalment of SHSS Alumnae Link.