ELECTED: Killarney student Kacper Bogalecki has been elected International Officer of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU).

By Michelle Crean 
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A local student has made such an impression representing the student voice in Kerry at national level that he has been elected International Officer of the Irish Second-Level Students’ Union (ISSU).

Kacper Bogalecki, a Fifth Year student in St Brendan’s College, was elected at the Annual Assembly and will take up his role officially in July.

The Irish Second-Level Students’ Union is the national representative body for second-level student councils, with over 500 schools affiliated to the union nationally. Since the onset of COVID-19 and its impact on the education system, the ISSU has sat on an Advisory Group of the Department of Education & Skills, representing students and cooperating with other stakeholders on issues such as the Junior Cert, schools reopening and the 2020 and 2021 editions of the Leaving Cert.

“I ran for this position because I wanted to help the students of Ireland be represented at an international level," Kacper said.

"I believe that we, as a people, have so much to learn from those around us and there is a great number of things which we could incorporate from abroad for our students at home. I was also driven to run for this position due to my international background. I'm from Poland, and having been able to live in other European countries as well, I felt like this position was suited to me and my experience.”

PASSIONATE

Kacper is currently serving his term as Kerry Regional Officer of the Union, and says that he is passionate about community involvement. He volunteers with the Order of Malta Ambulance Corps and is an active member of his local No Name Club. Outside of his youth activism and volunteering, Kacper also likes to play tennis, debate and travel.

In what has been an extraordinary year for the education system, Kacper is ready to lead the union.

“My main aim is to propel the ISSU on an international front. I am looking forward to working with the likes of our European counterparts OBESSU, the Northern Ireland Union SSUNI and foreign departments of education. I also want to work with international students within Ireland, making sure that they are heard on matters of importance to them. Finally, as an NSE officer I hope to bring fairness to the 2022 State exams by making sure that the students at our grassroots have direct input into advising on the realisation of these exams.”