In the strangest year I have yet to experience, 2020, I was also meant to sit my Leaving Certificate. For my LC, along with the standard subjects, English, Irish, Maths, I had also chose to sit Applied Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and French. Studying these subjects, I qualified to apply for the prestigious Naughton Scholarship
From their website "Each year 36 students are awarded Naughton Scholarships. There is at least one winner from each County in the Republic of Ireland. The scholarship is intended as a reward and encouragement to exceptional students who would like to study in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and maths) at University. The school of each winning student also receives a prize for the schools science labs. Our group of Scholars regularly come together for events throughout the year and we are building a community of very bright students whom will be worldwide leaders in their fields in the future, be it in research or industry."
After receiving my LC results (in which I acheived a H1 in all STEM subjects and a H2 in English, earning 613 points), I was called and informed that I had been granted the scholarship. I was overjoyed at this and felt very proud of myself as my hard work had paid off.