SHSS Alumnae Link - Abbie Weller

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 Abbie Weller who graduated in 2017.

Name and position:

Abbie Weller, primary school teacher, Masters student in Developmental and Educational Psychology at University College London.

Lives:

I have just moved to London to complete my Masters.

Best memory of Sacred Heart:

Anyone who knows me will know that I loved school, so this is very difficult for me to choose. I made great friends in SHSS and have brilliant memories of lunch time conversations and various classes with them, particularly quizzing each other before tests. I really enjoyed volunteering for literacy lift-off in St. Joseph’s in TY, which helped me to decide my career path. Law Day was great fun and I’m pretty sure that poor Ms. Harte has an image of me screaming and crying (all part of the performance, don’t worry!) ingrained in her brain. I also had a role in the school musical in TY, which I am so glad to have done. It really pushed me out of my comfort zone and even though I trembled my way through every audition and practice, I thoroughly enjoyed performing by the end. I have hilarious memories of trying to convince Mrs. Hayes to name her daughter after us in 2nd year English (she did not call her Abbie). Our last week in SHSS- dressing up, singing songs about the teachers, wearing pyjamas in class, and following Ms. O’Connell while blaring a song that most definitely should not have been played on school grounds, was also a great laugh!

What were your favourite classes?

I honestly cannot choose between the subjects I studied for my Leaving Cert, which is part of the reason I became a teacher. I do miss French with Ms. Keane though. 

Tell us about your career progression to date:

I graduated from MIC, Limerick in 2021 with a B.Ed in Education and Psychology. I then moved to Dublin and have been teaching there for the past year. Now, I am back at university, studying for my Masters. 

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

I think I would enjoy editing or journalism. I drive my friends and family mad correcting their spelling. It’s a terrible habit, but it might come in handy as an editor!

Advice you would give your teenage self:

Don’t be afraid to try new things. 

Favourite quote or motto?

This doesn’t fall into the inspirational quote category, but it makes me laugh and it’s very relatable. “Yeah, I would love to go with the flow… what time does the flow start?”

What is your hidden talent?

I sometimes find myself humming or singing along to songs I’ve never heard before. They’re either just very predictable or I’ve got some That’s so Raven-esque talent I don’t know about. 

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

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