Hi, I'm Ruth.

I went to school just outside of Belfast, where I grew up with my parents. I was very sporty at school and loved playing hockey and netball. When I was 13 I became unwell with exhaustion and stomach issues. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease, which really affected my confidence. I’d always been healthy, so it was a big shock when I wasn’t able to do the sports I loved. A lot of the years that I should have spent having fun with friends, I spent in a hospital on a liquid diet. It took a long time to get my symptoms under control, but eventually I was able to manage the condition. It still flares up when I’m stressed, so exam periods have been challenging, as well as the pandemic, when I had to isolate for much longer than my friends. I always loved business studies at school and, when I began to recover, my teacher inspired me to continue down this path. After completing my A-Levels I decided to apply for the Deloitte BrightStart scheme, because it was an opportunity to learn on the job while doing a business technology degree.

I work in the Human Capital team in Technology & Transformation on largescale consumer projects. My team helps to support clients who are going through big HR transformations, focusing on how we can help them to improve their systems and provide a better employee experience. I love going from end-to-end on a project and seeing the development in real time. Watching it unfold is amazing and I get to see the direct impact that our work is having. I’m also studying for my degree in Business Technology at Ulster University.

Outside my main role I’m a member of the Christian Network and also the Workability Network, who offer support for people at Deloitte who are living with disabilities and long-term conditions. You can reach out for help if you need it, but for me it’s just nice to know there are other people in the firm with similar experiences. In my team everyone is very understanding about my condition.