‘Please let me study in Ireland’

A Chilean national who moved to Cork after her sister suffered life-changing injuries in an accident is pleading with authorities to allow her to work and study here.

In 2022, Isidora Diaz Alfaro and her parents left their life in Chile behind when Isidora’s sister Alen was hit by a car while cycling in Cork city. She had suffered a severe skull fracture. With Alen in an induced coma at CUH and her prognosis uncertain, the family rushed to Cork to be by her side where they were told the next three weeks of her recovery would be crucial.

“Her frontal skull was fractured, and she was in a coma for approximately three weeks, the doctors were unsure if she would wake up,” recalled Isidora.

“My parents and I received a call in Chile from the hospital explaining the severity of Alen´s condition.”

The hospital told her family they “needed to get to Cork as soon as possible”.

She added: "We immediately packed up what we could and moved straight to Ireland to be with her,” she added.

Alen underwent two major surgeries focused on the removal of her frontal fractured skull and the placement of a ceramic plate.

Once Alen had made it through her initial recovery, the family tried to establish some normality here on Leeside and Isidora, who had lost a whole year of school back in Chile, enrolled in Christ King Secondary School in Cork as a fifth year student. Impressively, she completed the Leaving Cert in 2024 and received offers from both MTU and UCC for the coming academic year, (2024-2025).

“Doing the Leaving Certificate was hard, especially behind all my classmates in terms of knowledge and a lack of the English language,” said Isidora.

“The Leaving Cert allowed me to focus on myself when my sister wasn't well and when things were hectic at home.

“Apart from its difficulty, it gave me something personal that couldn't be taken away from me. This process allowed me to settle more into Irish society and to meet all my friends who have helped me integrate into Cork to this day,” she added.

However, because of her immigrant status, Isidora was classed as an international student, meaning her college tuition fees were too much for the family to afford, with neither Isidora nor her parents permitted to seek employment.

She had no choice but to defer her offer from UCC to the academic year of 2025-2026 while the family attempted to renew their visas, something they still await a response on as the deadline for Isidora’s college application draws near.

“I would like to tell the authorities to please let me study in Ireland,” said Isidora.

“I do not ask for special treatment, only for the same opportunity as my peers.

“I came here leaving everything behind for my sister and now all the dreams I have built, all my future I have planned, all the relationships I have created might be at stake,” she added.

“I only want to continue growing as an individual and have the right to choose to continue my education just like everybody else," she added.

Meanwhile, Isidora’s sister Alen remains under medical treatment here in Cork as she and her family come to terms with the long-term effects of her accident.

“After the accident, Alen developed a different personality,” shared Isidora.

“She suffered from memory loss and post traumatic effects which developed an erratic and out of control behaviour which brought massive stress to our family.

“Now in 2025 my sister is under medical treatment and trying to create a new beginning, but there is no diagnosis of the effects caused by the accident.

“Some experts have informed my family that she might develop schizophrenia, epilepsy, and that she will not be able to study full time,” said Isidora.

Isidora hopes to study world languages at UCC which she was initially offered in 2024. Later, she said she would like to study something related to diplomacy, so she can help other people like her to settle and live abroad.

“My biggest dream is to stop being scared of what could happen because of decisions made about my life that are beyond my control. To be able to have the life of a normal teenager,” she said.