Irish Second Level Students Union Elects Midlands Regional Reps

Wednesday, 22 February 2023 15:53

They will be serving throughout the term along with 35 other students around the country.

A sixth year student has been re-elected as the Longford - Westmeath Regional Officer of the Irish Second- Level Students' Union.

Sam Brooks is a 6th year student in Athlone Community College. He was first elected in 2021.

Meanwhile, Gearoid McCarthy, who is a TY student in Marist College has also been elected.

The Irish Second- Level Students' Union is the national representative body for second-level student councils in the Republic of Ireland.

Sam and Gearoid will be serving throughout the 2023 term with 35 other students.

On taking up the role Sam said: “I have been really proud to serve the students in the region over the last year and it was an honour to be reelected in 2022 with such a large mandate. Over 50% of schools in Longford-Westmeath showed up to our annual event last November and I hope to expand on that this year. Some of my main aims for the coming term include closer cooperation with representatives from Roscommon as over a third of Athlone students come from Roscommon, expanded public transport and cheaper fares for young people and students, better student mental health and SEN supports particularly for exam year students and those with hidden disabilities, and of course better student representation across Longford and Westmeath”

Gearoid was elected as a Regional Officer for Longford-Westmeath in November of last year and has since hit the ground running. On taking up the role Gearoid said: “When I got the role of regional officer I was honestly flabbergasted that I got the majority over the other candidates, my main aims this year are to increase the interaction with Longford schools in the Longford-Westmeath region, this could be done by hosting more in person events nearer Longford. The introduction of new bus routes are something that I hope the students in Longford could avail of to reach the events that may be held in Athlone and vice versa”

The Regional Officers plan to work alongside local politicians and local organisations throughout their term, and also to represent the over 13,000 second-level students from Longford and Westmeath on a national level.

The pair highly encourage any local students, politicians, or organisations to reach out in order to advance the cause of student representation in Longford and Westmeath.

They can be reached at longfordwestmeath@issu.ie