Lorraine Brogan

A key challenge in the RPL process was giving myself credit and accepting how far I had come, which has made me very proud. RPL has been an integral part in helping me to progress to Masters level.

Lorraine Brogan with SETU Waterford campus in the background
Lorraine Brogan studied at SETU Waterford

I wanted to do a level eight degree. And when the Springboard courses came out, they just didn't have anything that I was interested in, but they had a level nine in Waterford, a Masters in Business in Internationalisation, and I just felt like, this is right up my street now because I'm really into this.

I found RPL was great for reflection. I know some people do mind maps and brainstorm, but I'm a writer. I like to write, read, rewrite, read, rewrite. I did draft one, draft two, draft three, and draft four. And that's how I perfect things. So there must have been eight or nine drafts of this RPL application before I decided to upload it.

So I uploaded it, and then I got an email saying that I could have an interview. And I was so happy, I was jumping around the kitchen. So I had the interview with the course coordinator, and he was just so nice on the phone. And I just got the impression or the feeling that this could actually happen for me, that maybe the stars are aligning a little bit. And then it took a few weeks, and I got an email saying, I got a place.

Taking the time to reflect when completing my RPL application made me realise just how much I had in fact learned from my experience in work, from short courses I had taken, and the voluntary work I was doing without even realising it because it was such a normal part of life. 

I just couldn't believe how lucky a person I was. I had tried education before and it just didn't work out for me. I don't know what it was, but I think sometimes there's someone behind you encouraging you and telling you, you can do this, you're well capable.

Aishling O'Toole, Project Lead at SETU Waterford, interviewed Lorraine Brogan