Schoolgirls interview a Cork icon

Last week a group of Cork girls got to interview a Cork woman who herself has interviewed the likes of Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris.

The sixth class girls in Scoil Bhríde Eglantine in Ballinlough had a Zoom Q&A with the renowned Samantha Barry, Editor in Chief and Global Editorial Director of Glamour.

Samantha told the girls inspiring tales of rubbing shoulders with many well known celebrities but said that her favourite career moments included travelling with Michelle Obama and Amal Clooney on their campaign against child marriage.

When asked about her greatest success, Samantha hesitated before saying that her relationships with her family and friends were her greatest achievement in life.

She spoke of home and how she misses “hot chicken rolls” from Spar and how she loves to spoil her nieces and nephews. She made it clear to the girls that these are the things that we live for at the end of the day - family and friends.

The Ballincollig woman said her favourite issue of Glamour included a piece when she sent a team to Minnesota to report on events through the eyes of five women of different backgrounds.

When the girls asked her how to make it in the business world, she said communication is key.

She explained how she learns on the job and how curiosity was the key to her continually evolving and moving forward in her career.

The team at Scoil Bhríde said they were very grateful to Samantha for taking the time to give the girls the chance to see the heights that they can reach.

Principal Ger O’Brien said: “We were beyond excited and utterly grateful to ‘meet’ Samantha Barry. An inspirational Cork woman who has achieved global recognition in her field and who uses her influence to improve the lives of girls and women around the world. Samantha showed our girls that dreams can come true when you work hard, connect with people and make the effort to thank those you work with.

“She spoke of the importance of being a team player, writing thank you notes, family time and making time for yourself. The girls loved hearing about celebrities and fashion and Samantha balanced her stories with sage advice. Her words were powerful and yet delivered with wit, humour and sparkle. She was truly inspiring!”