DCU Voices

DCU VOICES 16 Legacy of four alumni lives on in memorial scholarships Memorial scholarships are an important part of how the DCU community remembers past students, staff and friends who played a significant role in the life of the university. Amongst the 14 memorial scholarships currently awarded at DCU, the lives and legacies of four DCU alumni who shone brightly in their own lives and who made an indelible mark on society are remembered: Orla Benson, Aidan McDonnell, Ger McDonnell and Stephen Moran. Each year, their legacy is honoured and lives on through the bright and gifted students who receive scholarships named in their memory. The annual Service of Remembrance and Memorial Scholarships Presentation Ceremony, hosted by DCU Educational Trust, is an important event in the university calendar. The Orla Benson Memorial Scholarship In 1996, the family and friends of Orla Benson established the Orla Benson Memorial Scholarship in loving memory of Orla, a native of Killarney, Co. Kerry. Orla was an enthusiastic and popular student at DCU and completed a BSc in Biotechnology in 1995, but sadly passed away that summer while working in Boston. This scholarship is awarded to assist a postgraduate student in DCU’s School of Biotechnology with their studies. The Aidan McDonnell Memorial Scholarship A DCU Electronic Engineering graduate and former employee of telecommunications company Vilicom Ltd, Aidan McDonnell was a talented engineer, an accomplished Gaelic football player with both DCU and his club, Kilfian in Co Mayo. Aidan was a well loved member of his community and he is dearly missed by his family and friends who will always fondly remember him for his larger than life personality. The Aidan McDonnell Memorial Scholarship was established by Vilicom Ltd in honour of Aidan, who passed away in June 2006. The Scholarship provides for an annual scholarship for a student from Co Mayo on the DCU Access Scholarship Programme. The Ger McDonnell Memorial Scholarship Ger McDonnell, a graduate of the DCU’s School of Engineering, became the first Irish person to scale K2 when he reached the summit on 1 August, 2008. Ger’s family and friends created the Ger McDonnell Memorial Scholarship in memory of Ger’s heroic life. It provides for an annual scholarship for a DCU Access student studying engineering. The Stephen Moran Music Memorial Scholarship Stephen Moran was a talented business graduate who went on to enjoy a promising career in industry, before his untimely passing. Stephen’s mother, Louise, created the Stephen Moran Music Memorial Scholarship in 2020 in keeping with Stephen’s enjoyment of music. The Stephen Moran Music Memorial Scholarship provides for an annual scholarship on the DCU Access Scholarship Programme for a student studying the BA in Jazz and Contemporary Music Performance, or the BA in Music Joint Honours, or a Bachelor in Religious Education and Music. The Volkswagen Group Ireland Stephen Moran Access Memorial Scholarship Stephen Moran is also fondly remembered by his colleagues in Volkswagen Group Ireland, where he completed an INTRA work placement during his studies and returned after graduation to build a promising career before his untimely passing. The Volkswagen Group Ireland Stephen Moran Memorial Access Scholarship was created to honour his memory and provides an annual scholarship for a DCU Access student studying Business Studies. Read more www.dcu.ie/trust. DCU Educational Trust: Memorial Scholarships