Born in Ireland, I initially grew up on the Aran Islands, just off the coast of Galway. Through a series of moves, I found myself in sunny Leeds at the age of 9. My upbringing was non-conventional, raised by a full-time house mum of four children and a father who was a fisherman.Most of my educational journey took place in Leeds. I struggled with education for many reasons, mainly missing much of my primary school years due to multiple moves. At 11, I was taken into foster care and lived with two fabulous people, Lorraine & Phil. For the first time, I had stability in my education, leading to immense improvements in my academic achievements. Despite many missed opportunities, I achieved well in my GCSEs.I progressed to Sixth Form at Morley High School and faced continued challenges. Just before sitting my A-level exams and attending university, I found out my biological mum had passed away. This was an extremely challenging part of my life as an 18-year-old about to embark on my university journey.Through fortitude and resilience, I secured the grades I needed to attend Leeds Metropolitan University, where I studied UG Sport Science & PG Sports Nutrition. I got involved in athletics at 14 and was a middle distance runner. Being involved in a sport I love has brought me many positive achievements, lifelong friendships, and experiences, and taught me life-long lessons and discipline.Despite my early negative experiences with education, I developed a passion for it and became a huge advocate for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning. This passion led me to start Cosmos Engagement Ltd. in 2017, where our mission is to empower and support young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.I started my career in Widening Participation, having first stumbled into it while working part-time as a Student Ambassador at Leeds Metropolitan. My life experiences, the challenges I'd overcome, and my sporting achievements allowed me to add huge value to this role.After a wonderful career, I decided to take the brave steps towards independence. I set up Cosmos Engagement Ltd. in January 2017. Despite the challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic, I now find myself in 2024 with a stronger and better version of Cosmos.On a personal note, I met my best friend, soul mate, and now wife, who is also my business partner. We are proud parents to two amazing children, who are complete characters with the right amount of my personality and their mum’s good looks.Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Until the next update, take care and all the best.Sean Dirrane