Sport scholar Kate Hickey is a third-year BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Care and Education student at SETU. Over the last number of years, the basketball player has represented this University, the Waterford Wildcats, and Ireland. In 2024, Kate received the SETU Sports Person of the Year award.
Support
SETU boasts a warm and welcoming environment, where all lecturers and staff are willing to do whatever they can to help you. Whether it's with college work, sports or any issues in general, I always felt supported. Balancing college work with sport can be challenging, but the staff at SETU has always been there to help me, be it offering advice or working out how to best balance study and sport.
Sport Scholarship
SETU’s Sport Scholarship has allowed me the opportunity to use all the facilities and supports available. These include the SETU Arena gym, physiotherapy sessions at UPMC, nutritional advice, and psychology talks. The aids have all helped me to be at the top of my game.
"Balancing college work with sport can be challenging, but the staff at SETU has always been there to help me."
Kate Hickey SETU Sport Scholarship student
SETU Arena
When I was deciding where I wanted to study, staying close to home was important to me as I wanted to continue playing basketball with Waterford Wildcats. We have such great facilities at the SETU Arena, so it was an easy choice for me to stay in Waterford for the next chapter in my life.
Sports Person of the Year
Being selected as the SETU Sports Person of the Year was a great honour and I was absolutely delighted to be chosen for such a prestigious award. I was shocked to be chosen out of all the exceptional athletes in SETU. It was a huge compliment to receive an award for the effort I have put in throughout the years. I really enjoyed the awards ceremony itself as I got to meet other scholars and award winners and hear about their achievements.
Sporting highlights
The highlight of my sporting career so far has been my game time with the Irish Senior Women’s basketball team against France last November. This was the first senior game that I played with my sister, and having my mam as the assistant coach was an unforgettable experience. To have their support at an international level, while playing against such a powerhouse of a team like the French Senior Women’s team was something that I have dreamed of all my life. This experience is an example of exactly where I want to be, playing against the top players in the world — hopefully, one day as a professional athlete.
Advice
My advice is to get involved in as many extra-ciricular activities as possible. There is so much more to college life than just the academic side. Use the opportunity that SETU’s Sport Scholarship provides to get involved in all the different sports and societies on offer.
