Keith Duffy’s daughter has paid tribute to his daughter in a touching Instagram post following her graduation.
The doting dad shared a photo of him alongside his daughter Mia at her graduation ceremony earlier this week. The 22-year-old received her degree in Enterprise Computing from DCU and is pictured in her graduation gown at the Helix.
The Boyzone singer confirmed that the day was an important milestone for their family and that he and his wife Lisa were “the proudest parents in the world.” Mia was diagnosed with autism as a baby, which made her graduation day even more poignant.
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Keith wrote on Instagram: “We are blessed for all your support. Mia was given every opportunity to reach her full potential and never took ‘No’ for an answer from anyone along the way. Mia has always pushed herself and worked hard to achieve her goals and continues to do so.”
Mia spoke highly about DCU following the ceremony and praised it for its status as Ireland’s first autism friendly university. She also said she would recommend the university to other students due to its inclusive atmosphere.
The alumni is currently enrolled in a graduate employment programme with healthcare company Optum. She was able to avail of additional supports in DCU, such as access to a smaller exam centre due to its accommodations for students who have unique needs.
She stated: “I have autism and DCU became Ireland’s first autism friendly university by my 1st year going to college, so I really had my heart set on attending because I believed I would have a lot of support available for me.”
Keith has been an autism advocate for years after successfully campaigning alongside Irish Autism Action, which amassed over €8,000,000 during Keith’s stint as patron. He has since set up the Keith Duffy Foundation, which provides supports for a chosen number of children’s charities nationwide.
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