I am a research assistant with the UNESCO Child and Family Research Centre at the University of Galway, Ireland. My research interests include alternative education in the Irish context, inequality within the Irish mainstream education system, social class and education, widening participation within higher education institutions, youth as researchers, and housing led innovations to combat homelessness. Previously, I was a social care worker, working in the areas of therapeutic care with teenage girls and young women, domestic abuse services, and housing and homeless services. I hold an MA in Child, Youth and Community, BA in Applied Social Studies in Social Care, Diploma in Community Development Practice and a Diploma in Arts (History)