‘I got 550 points on my Leaving Cert. ‘I’ve always had the feeling that I had a purpose in life’ – The Irish Times

This article is part of an article Series produced by students and recent graduates from colleges and universities in Ireland

I was the only Irishman Traveler at my primary school in the countryside Roscommon and I knew I was a little different from everyone else. I first realized this when I had my first Holy Communion. My community has a tradition of grand Communion dresses. I also had a Hummer that day. Nobody in my class had a Hummer.

I grew up with many obstacles in my life, but I used them as motivation. I have 550 points Leaving the Certificate and was the first member of my family to attend third level education. I’m 19 years old and I’ve just started second year at universityI am studying law University of Galway. My grandmother got married when she was 15 and my mother got married when she was 17. They didn’t have the opportunities I have now. My grandmother always encouraged me to concentrate on education and said it would lead to a better life.

What I love about my culture is that family is very important. My grandparents, who were married for 55 years, were like a second parent. My mother lived in a trailer, but when I was born she moved into a house with my father, who was from the settled community. I grew up as an only child until my sister Tulisha was born when I was 10 years old.

Life was hard growing up. There was domestic violence. Because of the situation at home, school always felt like a safe space. I was a child who couldn’t wait for the holidays to end so I could go back to school. I think because of everything I experienced growing up, I knew I would need a backup plan, and that was education. I always felt like I had a purpose in life, and that feeling drove me forward.

Another reason why I was so determined was the health scare I had as a child. I started suffering from migraines when I was nine years old. It turned out that I had a tumor growing on the left side of my skull bone. I had open biopsy surgery to remove the tumor at Beaumont Hospital. After the surgery, I was diagnosed with fibrous dysplasia; It is a disease that weakens all bones in the body. While my surgeon was performing my surgery, he asked me if I had any questions and I said, “When can I return to karate?” I said. I have been going to karate since I was four years old, I have a black belt. Sports gave me a very difficult time. I lived in my youth sanity struggling because I spent most of my childhood in fight or flight mode. Luckily, when all this deep trauma came to light, I had help Pieta House.

I’m proud to be Irish. This pride is one of the things I love about being from this country. That was the first time I experienced this Katie Taylor to win Olympic gold. I loved seeing the whole country so excited for him, celebrating this achievement. I love the everyday things about being Irish. Conversations I had with old people in my village when I was a child. A big plate of bacon and cabbage. Like my nanny still making tea the old way. She puts all the tea bags into a huge pot and puts it on the stove. It makes me smile. You may wait 20 minutes or half an hour for a cup of tea, but when you receive it, it is a very nice cup of tea.

What I don’t like in Ireland is discrimination. Whether it be against women, immigrants, people of colour, or people like me from the Traveler community. I received a lot of encouragement from my teachers and friends at school, but some of my peers called me a b*****r. The sad thing is that we are all tarred with one brush, as if one Traveler breaks the law the whole community is blamed. This isn’t fair. There are many established people who do bad things, but the entire established community is not judged or stigmatized. And that’s as it should be because we are all individuals.

( ‘It means a lot to me’: Traveler who honors primary care for his communityOpens in new window )

I think things have improved in the last decade. to have EileenFlynn in the Seanad and as public figures Martin Beanz District It helps a lot. The community is also branching out. Fifteen years ago there were very few Irish Travelers who were openly part of the LGBTQI community. Also, the number of allies is increasing. When my friend Emma Ward and I launched our podcast about the Traveler experience with Spun Out, Mincéirs: Paving the Way, we received as much support from the established community as we did from fellow Travelers. This is an example of progress.

I am an ambitious person. I was always stuck with extracurricular activities. I’m curious about the world and everything from climate change to the legal system; Eventually, I would like to work in family law. I’m also dipping my toes into politics. The plan is to make my name known in the 2028 local elections by campaigning on issues such as mental health, Traveler and women’s rights.

We do not live in a just society. Some people have to work much harder than others to overcome the circumstances they were born into. I want to break this cycle. I know that with hard work and dedication I can have a fulfilling and successful future. I am a survivor of domestic violence, a person with mental health issues, a woman from an ethnic minority, but I do not want to be defined by labels. At the end of the day, I am Latisha. I will make sure I get to the places I want to go in life. I hope that in the meantime I can help make Ireland a better place for everyone.

In conversation with Róisín Ingle. This conversation, part of a series, has been edited for clarity and length. Listen to Latisha McCrudden’s Mincéirs: Paving the Way podcast with Emma Ward via spunout.ie