Inspirational Co Antrim student Lauren graduates from Ulster University with a degree in Computer Science after rare brain tumour diagnosis aged 12

Lauren Monaghan always took a keen interest in computers and maths, and loved learning about how computer programmes work, but her road to higher education has been challenging.

When she was just 12-years-old, the Ballymoney woman was diagnosed with a very rare brain tumour, undergoing two surgeries with the second leading to a number of complications and further medical conditions

She said: “I had to take time out of school to travel to the USA for trials and treatment, as well as to adjust to new medications to keep my body functioning. I still have rough days coping with the complications of my tumour, but I’ve learned to adapt and make the most of the good days.”

Lauren worked at home with a tutor to continue her studies and ensure she didn’t fall behind her classmates. It was at this stage that she was advised by her consultants to leave education after her GCSEs but this wasn’t in her plan.

“Despite the doctors’ advice, I knew I wanted to keep going – I wanted to do my A-Levels and go onto higher education. The number of complications after the surgery and radiotherapy treatment I had undergone were challenging but I worked hard to catch up with classmates and get the grades I needed to move onto the next stage of my education.”

Lauren caught up with her classmates with the help of teachers and support staff and was on track to sit her A-Levels when another health issue, not connected to the brain tumour, was discovered. As a result, Lauren had to be held back a year. She received the necessary treatment and went back to school to sit her A-Levels. Her decision to apply to Ulster University was inspired by her software development teacher in school and she began studying for her degree in 2019.

Although it felt like a big jump moving from school to university, Lauren found her lecturers very supportive and helped make the transition easier, along with support from Student Wellbeing.

In the first semester of her first year, Lauren enjoyed campus life and her mum made the trip a few times a week from their home in Ballymoney to bring her to the Londonderry campus. But then the Coronavirus pandemic struck in semester two, and Lauren’s learning was moved online for the rest of year one and all of year two.

After completing a placement as a software engineer in her third year, Lauren returned to campus for her final year and began thinking about what she wanted to do next. Lauren had her very first job interview – with incredible results: “I was contacted on LinkedIn to apply for a two-year graduate programme at Citi. It was my very first graduate job interview so I was quite nervous! But I’m delighted to say I was successful with my application and I am due to start my role this September as a graduate software intern.”