At the University of Limerick, giving back isn’t just encouraged – it’s recorded, recognised, and celebrated, with students clocking in nearly 50,000 hours of volunteer work this year.
The efforts of 797 students were recognised this week at the annual UL President’s Volunteer Award (PVA) ceremony. Participants received gold, silver, bronze, or Plassey medals based on the hours they dedicated, with a grand total of 47,123 hours given by the volunteers.
Acting UL President Professor Shane Kilcommins stated: “The President’s Volunteer Award stands as a powerful testament to the spirit of generosity, leadership, and civic responsibility that defines our student community at University of Limerick.
“Through nearly 50,000 hours of service, our students have not only enriched the lives of others but have deepened their own understanding of empathy, resilience, and purpose.”
Among the recipients were five Student Volunteers of the Year, recognised for their exceptional dedication.
Cora Rooney, a Bachelor of Arts student from Donegal, spent a portion of her volunteering hours working with Nemo Special Olympics Sports Club. Cora is a high-performance swimmer, and a part of Swim Ireland’s National Centre Limerick squad.
She shared: “I chose to get involved in volunteering because I have always enjoyed helping others reach their full potential, and bringing positivity and hope to my community, especially to those with intellectual disabilities.
“Volunteering has been a profoundly rewarding experience, allowing me to grow as a young person, develop my personal skills, meet incredible people, and witness firsthand the value of enthusiasm, empathy, communication, kindness, and support to others.”
Also recognised as Student Volunteer of the Year was Óran Fleming, an Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) student from Limerick.
Óran spoke about his personal motivation for participating in the PVA this year, sharing, “the main work I did was with the Alzheimer’s Society of Ireland (ASI). I lost my grandfather to Alzheimer’s in October last year, and so I wanted to do something to honour him.”
Óran ran the Paris Marathon in April, in aid of ASI, and raised over €2,100 in the process. Earlier this year he organised events within his course to raise both awareness and funds for the charity, including participating in #DenimDay4Dementia.
Pharmaceutical and Industrial Chemistry student Jack Comber, completed his volunteer work with the UL International Buddy Programme. This initiative aims to assist international students with settling into student life in a foreign country. The Limerick student also volunteered with Be MindfUL, a programme that seeks to promote mental health in students and bystander intervention.
Oluwadara Alabi, from Nigeria, completed a staggering 112 volunteering hours across the past year. Currently undertaking the MSc in Human Nutrition and Dietetics, her contribution included spreading her time across UL Global (Student Ambassador and International Buddy programmes), UL Student Life and Milford Hospice.
The Student Volunteer of the Year lineup was completed by Sean Byrnes, a Limerick native, who is a current Bachelor of Business Studies student. Sean dedicated his volunteer hours to multiple UL initiatives across the Access Office (Destination College Programme; Academy for Children) as well as UL Global’s International Buddy Programme.
Now in its fifteenth year, the President’s Volunteer Award (PVA) has become a highlight of the UL academic calendar, providing a valuable opportunity to recognise students’ commitment to giving back to their local and wider communities.
Linda Fitzgerald, Student Volunteering and PVA Manager highlights how the volunteering programme “plays a vital role in fostering creativity, engagement, and community spirit.
“It offers students valuable opportunities to develop key skills while contributing to the cultural and social life of the University and the wider community.
“We’re incredibly proud to celebrate nearly 800 student volunteers this year for their outstanding commitment and contribution throughout this academic year.”
The UL President’s Volunteer Award is the only higher education institution in Ireland to document volunteer achievements on academic transcripts, giving students a considerable advantage for future employment.
UL’s Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences has also launched the Degree Boost initiative, the first programme in Ireland to provide skill-specific digital badges that record transferable skills on students’ transcripts.
Already, 1,000 students are signed up for the 2025/26 academic year, and with the Civic Engagement Scholarship opening at the end of this semester, the UL PVA is set to grow even further and continue inspiring student participation for years to come.