Donegal Students elected to Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU)

Donegal third year student Ellen Griffin, has been elected as the Regional Officer of the Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU), the national representative body for second-level student councils in the Republic of Ireland.

Ellen, a student of Loreto Letterkenny, will work alongside her fellow Regional Officer Tara Toye, a 6th year student of Deele College, for the year ahead. They began their term as Regional Officers on January 1, 2022.

The Irish Second-Level Students' Union (ISSU) is the national representative body for second-level school students in the Republic of Ireland. 

It works towards an education system in which the views, opinions and contributions of students are respected and in which students are recognised as an official partner in creating an education that is centred around and caters best for students.

Ellen is passionate about students' mental health saying “I firmly believe that in order for students to succeed in the educational environment, their mental health must come first. If a student is suffering from mental illnesses they will not be able to work to their best standard at school. This is why mental health should come first. ”

Speaking on why she ran for election, Tara stated “I want to empower students to realise their own voice and the change that they can make. In order to do this I aim to develop strong student councils in Donegal. Mica is an ongoing crisis that is affecting students all across the county, however this has not been recognised. My goal is to raise concerns from the students on this issue.”

The Regional Officers plan to work alongside local TDs and County Councillors in their term, and also to grow the ISSU in the region of Donegal for the year ahead. The ISSU has played a central role in many of the decisions made around schools and exams during Covid.

Tara and Ellen plan to make sure student voices are heard at the local level for the year ahead.