‘She has been so resilient,’ says child rape survivor as daughter gets top grade in Leaving Cert Applied

A student who struggled in mainstream education and with the fallout of discovering her mother was a survivor of child rape, celebrated a 100 per cent distinction grade in her Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA) exams, Friday.

Jesslyn Campion (17) from Limerick, beamed with joy after receiving top marks across the board after completing her secondary education through the Limerick Youth Service (LYS).

Ms Campion, who is pursing a career in animation, said she hoped her story would give hope to others who find themselves unsuited to mainstream education that they do not have to sacrifice college or job projects.

“There are options out there, and the majority of students don’t even realise that there are other pathways (to education), there is Youthreach, youth services and even the LCA [Leaving Cert Applied], which I didn’t know about when I was in secondary school,” said Ms Campion.

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“I am feeling so happy, and this morning I was so excited not just to see my results but to see all my classmates and how they got on, and they all did really well as well.”

“About two years ago when I started at the youth service, my confidence was low and I didn’t even think that I would get where I am today or even finish the LCA, but all the staff and teachers put so much confidence into us and really encouraged us.”

“I’ll be starting at LCFE (Limerick College of Further Education) doing a course in animation and game design, which I have been really passionate about for the past few years.”

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Jesslyn’s mother, Leona O’Callaghan, who is a well-known advocate for the rights of victims of sexual crimes and who is a survivor of child rape, said she was extremely “proud” of her daughter.

Both mother and daughter have supported one another through adversity, including when Ms O’Callaghan waived her right to anonymity in 2018 after a man who raped her when she was 13-years-old, Patrick “Whacker” O’Dea of Pike Avenue, Limerick, was jailed for 17 years.

“Jess was in an amazing school but she felt she didn’t fit in and she just stopped functioning, she felt she couldn’t keep up with the pressure of mainstream school and it was a really low moment for her,” explained Ms O’Callaghan.

“I encouraged her to look at other options and she joined the Limerick Youth Centre and they have been awesome and have given her back her confidence.”

“She is fantastically intelligent but she has had a really tough time over the past few years with the very public trial involving her mam, which would have obviously taken it’s toll on her.”

“I am so proud of her that she has been so resilient to stick with it all, to be so strong and determined, she is phenomenal and I couldn’t be more proud of her.”