DCU Alumni

Olympian Sophie Becker has represented Ireland at both the Olympic Games and the World Championships, and in 2024 she and her teammates won silver at the European Athletics Championships in the women’s 4x400m relay. She describes her first Olympic Games in Tokyo as the beginning of something special.

Read more about Sophie’s success at

Voices 2025 - Olympic Glory with Sophie Becker | DCU Alumni Olympian Sophie Becker discusses dreams, competing on the global stage and her love of science

“The emerging leaders programme was a great introduction to professional & leadership development. As my first programme of its kind it has definitely motivated me to partake in more going forward. The programme itself also exceeded all of my expectations with a great variety of talks and workshops.”

Submit your emerging leaders application by August 7th, 2026 https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/2627emergingleaders

It was an honour to welcome the St Patrick's College Class of 1966 back to St Patrick's Campus for their 60th anniversary celebration. The day commenced with coffees and tea before a mass and celebratory dinner. As always, the day was full of reminiscing, storytelling, and an opportunity to reconnect. Thank you to Bill Lowe for his work to reconnect the class with the alumni office and we look forward to many more reunions to come. If you have queries about reunions, feel free to email the DCU Alumni office at [email protected]

After a successful year, the DCU Emerging Leaders Programme is back. If you're looking for a chance to grow in your professional networks and leadership skills, apply now at: https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/2627emergingleaders

“The programme was a fantastic experience, and allowed me to meet and connect with many other upcoming leaders from different fields and walks of life. As a teacher, I found this extremely rewarding, as we rarely get to engage with people from outside of the realm of education. The guest speakers provided us with great insights into different aspects of effective and quality leadership, and I have already started to try and implement some of these strategies in my day to day work. I would highly recommend this programme to anyone who is hoping to grow their network and develop their personal and leadership skills.”

Apply for the DCU Emerging Leaders Programme 2026/27 | For your calendar: The first date of the programme will likely be in person on Friday, September 25th, 2026. We highly encourage all applicants to mark this afternoon and evening in their calendars now so if they're chosen for the programme, they are able to attend. Learn more about the programme he...

DCU Alumna Niamh Donnelly is a founder of Akara Robotics - a company established to help health services unlock greater efficiency. Following the development of a social care robot named Stevie - which graced the cover of Time Magazine in 2019 - Akara Robotics has developed a disinfection robot that aims to transform operating rooms and clinical spaces in hospitals through the use of AI-driven insights and robotic information.

Read More about it here:

Voices 2025: The Robots who care | DCU Alumni DCU Alumna Niamh Donnelly is a founder of Akara Robotics - a company established to help health services unlock greater efficiency. Following the development of a social care robot named Stevie - which graced the cover of Time Magazine in 2019 - Akara Robotins has developed a disinfection robot that...

The DCU Alumni Awards honour alumni who, through their exceptional ability and leadership, have achieved excellence in their chosen fields of endeavour. Their accomplishments across so many aspects of society are a source of great pride to DCU and an inspiration to current and future generations of DCU students. Nominations for our 2026 awardees are now open, you can nominate here at: https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/26alumniawardsnomination

The DCU Emerging leaders programme application is now open! You can apply here: https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/2627emergingleaders
If you're unsure whether you'd like to apply listen to what one of our many past participants had to say:

“The DCU Alumni Emerging Leaders Programme has been a genuinely transformative experience for me, both professionally and personally. The programme strikes a strong balance between practical leadership development and reflective learning, allowing me to better understand my own leadership style while gaining valuable insights from experienced leaders.'

Overall, the programme has equipped me with practical tools, greater self-awareness, and a renewed confidence in my leadership potential. I would highly recommend it to any DCU graduate looking to grow, connect, and lead with purpose.”

The DCU Alumni Monthly newsletter is sent at the end of the month! Be sure to keep your details updated with the alumni office here at dcu.ie/keepintouch so you receive the newsletter.

📢 Are you a DCU graduate based in Vancouver?

Join us for our first DCU alumni networking event in the city kindly hosted by four of your fellow graduates in the city of Vancouver.

Register here: https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/dcu-events/2026/jan/vancouver-alumni-networking-event

We are hosting this breakfast as part of our March St Patrick's Day celebrations. It is an opportunity to enjoy some breakfast whilst reconnecting with familiar faces and making new connections with other DCU graduates based in the city.

Please register and update your contact details to stay connected so we can keep you up to date with all the latest news and events.

Date: 7 March 2026
Local Time: 11:00 am
Registration is required and we will follow up with details.

Meet the Alumni Council: Jennifer Brennan

Jennifer graduated from DCU with a BBS in 2003. She is CEO of Thrive Marketing and is an experienced marketing and communications professional with a demonstrated history of working in the private and not-for-profit sector.

Read more about the Alumni Council: https://www.dcu.ie/alumni/alumni-council-alumni

Jennifer is skilled in all areas of branding, marketing, communications, strategy, planning, event management, PR and all things digital.

For over two decades Jennifer has successfully led several rebranding projects with leading companies throughout Ireland, in particular those within the professional services, not-for-profit, start-up, wellness and sustainability space.

Jennifer is also a personal brand and employer brand strategist working with individuals, senior management and c-suite executives to manage their personal, professional and employer brands, along with their online and offline reputation. She helps all those she works with to create a personal and professional brand that places them in the best position to excel in all they do, and to build an employer brand to attract and retain the best talent to build their teams and businesses.

Education: Bachelor of Business Studies and Marketing, 2003