*Clíona McNamara. Photograph: Alan Place
GRADUATING with first-class honours and moving to the United States on a prestigious scholarship was all in a day’s work for Scariff’’s Clíona McNamara.
Twenty three year old Clíona was conferred with a Bachelor of Arts in International Business degree from UL’s Kemmy Business School, joining more than 3,670 students graduating from the University of Limerick as part of its autumn conferring ceremonies.
It was a monumental moment in a whirlwind 24 hours which saw Clíona, the 2025 recipient of the Rev. John M. Conlisk Scholarship, swap parchment for passport and hop on a flight to the US to begin her studies at Fairfield University, Connecticut.
She joins an elite group of UL graduates chosen to receive the scholarship and will now undertake an MBA in Business Analytics.
At KBS, Clíona found a degree that fed her interests along with her curiosities. As well as studying core business modules – management, finance, marketing, HR – she had the opportunity to also study electives like psychology and politics. The diversity of the curriculum, she feels, can “give you the edge” when it comes to entering the workplace. “It’s something different in a business degree, which, I think, employers like to see in this day and age”.
Clíona describes her four years at UL as “a time filled with opportunities – academic, social and sporting”. Throughout, she balanced her sport with her studies, playing camogie with her local club, Scariff/Ogonnelloe. She also got involved with the University Disability Services Office, working as a note-taker for students who needed support. “It was a great way to give back and be part of the inclusive community UL fosters. It also gave me perspective and reminded me of the importance of accessibility in education”.
She reserves special praise for the supports she in turn received during her four years at UL, from faculty right through to the Careers Services and UL Global – a factor that was particularly important when it came to her Erasmus in Northern Arizona University. “Most people went to Europe, but I felt there was something in me that wanted to go to America; and when I saw the amount of options UL had in America alone, I decided I was just going to push myself and go there”.
Clíona’s decision to try “something different” led to an experience that she describes as “life-changing” and so enjoyable that she opted to stay on in Arizona for her co-op placement. She took up an eight-month work placement in supply chain and demand with American food manufacturer Oats Overnight, becoming the company’s very first intern. The experience gave Clíona the opportunity to take everything she learned in the lecture theatre and apply it in the workplace – something which, she says, played an invaluable role in her career preparation.
“I saw how business worked on the ground, and it helped me link theory to practice. Seeing how a business was run in the US was fantastic too, as it was something I wasn’t familiar with. It also sparked my interest in data analytics, which has helped shape my future plans,” she explained.
Upon returning to campus for final year, Clíona knew there were many more opportunities yet to be seized Stateside – and she took an email about the prestigious Conlisk Scholarship as a sign. With no expectations, she sent in her application and waited. “A week before final exams in April, I got the letter to say I got it, and I was just in total shock. I had to keep rereading it to see if it was actually real! I was delighted”.
Clíona will now follow in the footsteps of last year’s Conlisk recipient, Business Studies graduate Evan Mansfield as she undertakes her MBA in Fairfield University. “Coming from my co-op placement in Arizona, I had never done much with supply chain or data analytics – I suppose it’s uncommon for a degree in business to focus solely on it. It definitely sparked my interest, so I’ve decided to look into doing an analytics concentration. Upon graduating, you can expect to be well-positioned for a career in business – not just in Ireland but with global companies”.
For now, Clíona is excited to get back to the States and pick up where she left off during her Erasmus and co-op year – meeting new people, enjoying new experiences both within and outside of the lecture theatre, and seizing all the wonderful opportunities ahead. Beyond that, she hopes to carve out a career in the US before eventually returning to Ireland.
