Waterford student celebrated for turning his life around

At last week’s Garda Youth Awards in Waterford, Mount Sion CBS Secondary School student Calvin Flynn was the overall winner in the ‘Special Achievement' category.

In presenting the award, attendees at the ceremony in the Tower Hotel heard that Calvin is a source of great pride and joy for the staff at the school who have seen him turn his life around through hard work and commitment, overcoming many obstacles on the way both personal and social.

Calvin, who had missed a lot of school in his first and second years, turned things around by staying behind three evenings a week catching up, never missing a day and putting all his focus into learning and helping others.

He has now progressed to transition year, is part of many clubs and is on the student council. 

Calvin recently spoke to students from other schools about his experience and received a standing ovation from his peers.

He was described at the awards ceremony last week as "incredibly articulate" with "great emotional intelligence."

"His positive energy and hope for a future motivates other students who can see how Calvin has refused to let adversity keep him down."