Student Spotlights

Celebrating the journeys and achievements of Discovery Academy students who have earned their U.S. citizenship.

Aoife Clancy

Aoife Clancy

Our newest American citizen 🇺🇸

Aoife Clancy started in our 1st Cohort. She moved to NC and continued to study.
She took the test yesterday and passed!

About Aoife

Aoife Clancy was born and raised in Co Tipperary, Ireland, and grew up in a family steeped in music. Her father, Bobby Clancy, was a member of the group “The Clancy Brothers” and, at an early age, introduced her to old ballads and traditional Irish songs.

By the age of 15, Aoife was performing with her father in Folk Clubs and festivals around the country. She moved to the States in 1992 and was asked to join the well-renowned Irish American Ensemble Cherish the Ladies out of New York City where she performed over 200 dates a year touring the States and Europe. The group went on to record under RCA Victor and was nominated for a Grammy on a live recording with the Boston Pops titled the Celtic Album.

Aoife was later asked to perform as a soloist with the Boston Pops and other symphonies around the US. She has recorded many CDs over the years, three solo projects, several with Cherish the Ladies, and a project she recorded with her cousins Robbie O’Connell and Donal Clancy.

After touring for many years, Aoife decided to perform solo and went on to teach Irish music workshops on Traditional Irish song and developed her own Irish music program, accompanying herself on guitar and Bodhran. She has been an instructor at the Swannanoa gathering at Wilson College NC during Celtic week and Irish Arts week in NY State. Aoife now resides in Etowah NC.

“The seeds Discovery Academy planted are blossoming!”

Rita Alves

Aoife Clancy

Our newest American citizen 🇺🇸

We are absolutely thrilled to share some wonderful news with our academy family today!
A huge congratulations go out to Mrs. Rita Alves, who has officially passed her USA citizenship test! Her hard work, perseverance, and dedication have paid off, and we couldn’t be prouder to celebrate this incredible milestone with her.

The Alves-Costa family is a very special part of our community, as Rita’s children also attend our academy. Seeing our parents reach such significant personal goals is just as inspiring to us as seeing our students succeed in the classroom!

“The seeds Discovery Academy planted are blossoming!”

Discovery Language Academy
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