Welcome to SHSS Alumnae Link!

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

This week we linked with Erin Kennedy who graduated in 2011.

Name and position:

Erin Kennedy – Senior Business Analyst for the ICBF

Lives:

Clonakilty.

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

Oh wow, it is very hard to choose just one. Taking part in High School Musical in 5th year was great fun. I honestly have so many happy memories of my time in Sacred Heart. I was only speaking to a friend of mine lately saying that my years at SHSS were some of the best years of my life. We were and still are a very close year group.

What were your favourite classes?

French and History.

Tell us about your career progression to date:

I’ve always been interested in people so opted to study Social Science at UCC. I found the course really interesting with a huge variety of modules to choose from. It’s definitely a course worth considering if you’re not entirely sure what you want to do. A lot of what I studied has stood to me in my career progression to date. On completing my degree in 2014, I wasn’t entirely sure what industry I wanted to work in, so I spent a couple of years working for a few different companies in the business and finance sector which was excellent and equipped me with lots of transferable skills and knowledge.

Having grown up on a farm, I was always interested in the agricultural industry. I had heard lots of great things about the organisation and was eager to get a job there. As soon as a vacancy came up, I went for it. Despite not having an Agricultural Science degree, I managed to get a position in the HerdPlus team in an administration role in 2016.

Over the past 5 and a half years, I have worked my way up to a Senior Business Analyst role and I thoroughly enjoy the work that I do. My role is varied and affords me the opportunity to work on really cool projects with lots of very interesting people day to day. For the past few years, I have been running our Graduate Programme and I absolutely love the process from meeting students when they are in college all the way through to offering the position to successful candidates and looking after them for the 12 months.

I have completed 2 x higher diplomas over the last few years 1) PR & Communication and 2) European Studies. I am currently completing a short course in Web Development. I think it is essential to keep upskilling and learning as you progress in your career.

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

HR or Marketing.

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Have faith in your abilities. You are capable of much more than you think.

Favourite quote or motto?