St Leo’s students win top award for wellbeing initiative
Liela Ahmed Abdallah, Lojain Ahmed Abdallah and Amala Roney
THREE St Leo’s College students have brought national recognition to Carlow after winning the overall TY TrailblazHER of the Year Award at TU Dublin’s annual awards ceremony.
Liela Ahmed Abdallah, Lojain Ahmed Abdallah and Amala Rooney took home the prestigious top prize, as well as the Wellness Ambassador of the Year Award, for their project , a peer-led wellbeing initiative focused on raising awareness around mental and physical health among fellow students.
The trio developed and delivered workshops, awareness campaigns and peer engagement activities designed to create safe spaces for open conversations and to encourage students to prioritise their wellbeing. Judges praised the project for its leadership, empathy and measurable impact on the school community.
The awards ceremony took place at TU Dublin’s Grangegorman campus, bringing together students, teachers and families from across the country to celebrate young women already making a difference in their communities.
Now in its second year, the TY TrailblazHER Awards are a TU Dublin-led initiative committed to advancing gender equality through school programmes and enterprise engagement. The awards are supported by a number of leading organisations, including Intel, ESB, Fidelity Investments and PwC.
Speaking at the ceremony, Patricia Harrington, a teacher from St Patrick’s Grammar School in Dublin, said the awards are about more than academic achievement. “These awards recognise not just achievement but potential,” she said, adding that the initiative aims to empower young women to see themselves as the leaders, innovators and change-makers of tomorrow.
The Carlow students received their overall award from Roksana Fusiek, the 2024 TY TrailblazHER winner, and their wellness ambassador prize from Tracey Dollard, CEO of The Soar Foundation.
