During the official opening of NCI's Spencer Dock campus building on Friday, 6th March, in the presence of An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, TD; Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, James Lawless, TD; NCI President, Professor Gina Quin; and Chair of NCI's Governing Body, Brendan McGinty, NCISU President, Tre Robert, shared his NCI story and his hopes for the future.
Tre’s powerful speech drew immediate and tremendous applause from the crowd and, while many guests will never forget his eloquence and passion while speaking about National College of Ireland, his words deserve to live on beyond that day.
A Thaoiseach, a Aire, a Uachtarán, a aíonna uaisle, a chairde, agus go háirithe a mhic léinn NCI – fáilte romhaibh. Is mór an onóir dom labhairt anseo inniu thar ceann na mac léinn.
When I was asked to speak today,
I didn’t want to talk about bricks.
Or buildings.
Or even milestones.
I want to talk about change.
Because NCI doesn’t just open campuses.
It changes lives.
I know that – because it changed mine.
On one side of my family, education was always expected.
On the other, many left school early to support their families.
Statistically, I wasn’t supposed to be here.
But NCI never saw statistics.
It saw potential.
It saw a young man who needed opportunity.
Who needed belief.
Who needed access.
And that’s what this institution does better than most.
It opens doors.
Not just physically – like this incredible new campus at Spencer Dock -
but socially,
economically,
and generationally.
This building isn’t just a space.
It represents possibility.
For the first-generation student.
For the mature learner balancing work and study.
For the international student starting again in a new country.
For the student who doesn’t yet believe they belong in higher education.
When they walk through these doors,
they won’t just find lecture theatres.
They’ll find confidence.
Community.
Ambition.
Support.
And that matters.
Because education is the most powerful tool we have to change the trajectory of a life.
And when you change one life,
you change a family.
When you change families,
you change communities.
When you change communities,
You change a country.
That’s why this moment matters.
Not because it’s 75 years.
Not because it’s a new building.
But because it’s another chapter in NCI’s mission
to change lives through education.
Today, I stand here as:
A Masters graduate.
A scholarship recipient.
President of the Students’ Union.
But more importantly -
I stand here as proof.
Proof that when access meets opportunity, transformation happens.
So, to the leadership who invested in this space -
thank you.
To the Government who supports access to higher education -
thank you.
And to every student who will walk through these doors next September wondering if they belong here -
you do.
And your story can change too.
Thank you.
Tre Robert
National College of Ireland Students' Union President
#75YearsofNCI
