This time last week I came to the end of my amazing journey at Eakin Healthcare. I have learnt so much from my placement; it is such an amazing scheme and gave me the opportunity to develop skills in concept creation, prototyping, testing, research, and all-in-all allowed me to gain a huge amount of hands-on experience.
I spent my time working alongside an incredible group of people from whom I have gained a wealth of knowledge across so many means. I cannot thank them all enough for the time and effort they put into supporting me on my journey, I am so massively grateful to you all. There are so many of you I would love to call out but I am sure you know who you are. 😊
However, I would like to give a special thanks to my line manager and mentors: Ben, Maighread, and Malvin, the engineering and life skills you have provided me with will no doubt open so many doors for me in the future. I would also like to say a cheeky thank you to Carolyn Busby, who started as a fundraising and project management mentor to me and ended up becoming a true friend. I will miss causing mischief and having laughs with you, and I wish you the very best on your new adventure. 🤗
I have become a better engineer and a better person from my time at Eakin, but one of the main things I have learnt is what motivates me. I have realised that there is nothing more rewarding than finding a way to help others. Meeting so many ostomates and nurses was an absolute privilege and truly opened my eyes to the difference I can make as an engineer.
The year has flown by and I will truly miss Northern Ireland, it will forever have a place in my heart for its beautiful views, crazy weather, and amazing people. I wish you all the best and can’t wait to see what comes next.