Inspiring Accountancy student Ronnie Gomersall overcomes challenging school experience to graduate from Magee

For Ronnie, school was not always easy. As an autistic person, he found the hours in the mainstream system were too long and too overwhelming.

When Ronnie left school, he went on to study IT for two years. Ronnie appreciated the skills he had learnt but IT wasn’t what he wanted to pursue, so he took a break from studying.

Ronnie began learning about accounting at home. He realised it was something he enjoyed. After a six-year break from education, he took the plunge and applied to study at Magee.

“I started learning it to help my parents and I thought it was interesting and satisfying when everything finally clicked into place and the accounts balanced.

"I decided to apply to Ulster University to learn more about it, and to give myself career prospects in the subject, because it felt like the first time in my life, I had found a subject I felt like I could work in.

"I was always looking for career possibilities, but nothing had ever clicked into place. The fact the Derry~Londonderry campus is a five-minute walk from my house in the middle of a walkable community helped a lot, and it’s great to be able to stay in the city near my family and

friends.”

Ronnie immersed himself in university life. He raised money £1,300 for Foyle Search & Rescue with a variety show. Then Covid-19 struck and studies were moved online.

Creating an active community during lockdown was important to Ronnie. He took on the role as LGBT+ Society Chair holding online meetings with catch ups, movie nights, game nights and a book club.

“It was a great way to keep people engaged with interesting topics to keep the conversation going during lockdown. We managed to get some in person meetups the following year when I was on my placement, it was nice to be able to meet other students both on and off campus.”

In his third year he had the opportunity to put what he was learning into practice.

“The hardest part by far was my placement as it was my first real job. I hadn’t done anything on a full-time basis in over 10 years and it was a big adjustment, but I feel lucky that my placement year came just after a lot of organisations switched to work from home.

"I feel like I couldn’t have done nearly as well as I did if I was going into the office every day. My placement was 13 months, which is longer than most people do, and it gave me much needed experience to kickstart my career.”

Ronnie added: “I enjoyed my time at Ulster University and felt it was far more suited to my needs. I chose to go to my local campus, I got to study subjects that I wanted to.

"I also found that there was a wide variety of practical experiences, the tutors were very supportive, and there was other support available from student wellbeing and careers.”

Ronnie’s story has inspired many, particularly his commitment to skills development, culminating in his being named Ulster EDGE Excel Award Student of the Year 2023.

For more information visit: Accounting with specialisms BSc (Hons) at Ulster University

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