12 Weeks, A Lot of Socks, and Even More Memories at DSCNE

This blog post was written by our Digital Marketing and Communications Executive: Alyona O'Brien

Hi everyone! I cannot believe my 12-week placement time is coming to an end here at DSCNE, it feels like yesterday I was only walking through the doors.

Kicking Off My Placement

During my placement, I’ve not only deepened my knowledge on Down syndrome, but also come to appreciate just how intelligent, kind, loving, creative, and funny the children that attend DSCNE truly are.

I really got lucky with my placement location because not only is it close in location to my house but is in the heart of my town, Carrickmacross which gives families an easy access to travel to the centre from all over the North East region.

My placement has given me the opportunity to broaden my knowledge and apply the digital marketing tools, resources, and skills I’ve been studying over the last three years in college. During my time at DSCNE I was given a big task from the start which was organising and planning our Lots of Socks fundraising event in aid of World Down Syndrome Day which occurs every year on the 21st of March.

If you aren't familiar, you can check out our blog posts on Lots of Socks and WDSD 2025 here:

https://www.dscnortheast.ie/post/wdsd-2025

https://www.dscnortheast.ie/post/why-we-re-rocking-our-socks-for-world-down-syndrome-day-spreading-awareness-and-embracing-inclusion

Lots of Socks: A Big Responsibility

As part of my planning, I re-designed the Lots of Socks packs to send out to schools/businesses which was a big success and everyone loved the new layout and design whilst still incorporating previous material from previous packs.

DSCNE Coffee Morning

Many of you might have seen it on our socials or indeed popped down to the centre on March 21st for our bi-annual coffee morning. This event was planned by myself with the help of the rest of the team and was a huge success. I was so nervous leading up to the event, but Caitriona and Denise reassured me, saying, "Stop stressing—it’s going to be a great day" And they were right. It turned out to be a lovely morning (though I was exhausted after).

DSCNE Fundraising at Castle Leslie Estate

One of my final highlights at DSCNE was attending the Cookery Demonstration at Castle Leslie Estate. The evening was filled with fun and flavour, from a raffle and a “guess the mini eggs in the jar” challenge to a live cooking demo by Castle Leslie’s talented Head Chef, Aaron Duffy. He wowed us with an array of delicious Easter-themed dishes, finishing off with some truly irresistible desserts. It was a perfect blend of learning, laughter, and a touch of indulgence – a lovely way to mark my last event with the DSCNE community.

New Skills I’ve Gained & looking ahead

During my time with DSCNE, I discovered an unexpected passion: blogging. I’ve genuinely enjoyed crafting blog posts that reflect the heart of what we do, and it’s something I’d love to continue in the future. Alongside that, writing press releases became another highlight and nothing quite beats the thrill of spotting your own words in print. I found myself eagerly heading to the local newsagents, flipping through the pages with the same excitement a child has in a candy shop.

Social media has also played a big role in my placement, and I found myself getting into a great rhythm with planning and creating content. Having a clear brand vision and a well-organised content calendar made all the difference. I especially enjoyed working with Meta’s Business Suite – a handy tool that helped streamline our posts and gave me practical experience in digital content management.

Now, let’s talk about Microsoft Excel... I’ll admit, I’ve had a bit of a love/hate relationship with it, I avoided it for as long as I could, but eventually came to appreciate just how useful it is for staying organised – from managing contact forms to planning out social media. It’s safe to say, Excel and I are now on better terms.

Beyond the technical skills, DSCNE has given me something even more valuable – confidence. From speaking at coffee mornings to leading on projects, I’ve grown so much. Just a semester ago, I was feeling uncertain about whether I had chosen the right path. Now, thanks to the support and opportunities at DSCNE, I’m leaving with clarity and excitement for what’s ahead in my career in Digital Marketing and Strategic Communications.

As I head into my final year at DKIT, I’m taking everything I’ve learned at DSCNE with me—especially the reminder that it’s okay not to have it all figured out just yet. Whether it’s a master’s or a career straight out of college, I know things will unfold as they’re meant to. After all, I’m a firm believer in the saying: “Everything happens for a reason.”

Thank you everyone for making this experience so great,

-Alyona O'Brien

Year 3 Student from DKIT: BA Digital Marketing and Strategic Communications