ATU Donegal Faculty of Business Awards and Spring Prize Giving

The Faculty of Business Awards & Spring Prize Giving event took place at ATU Donegal in April. This annual event invests significant time and resources in engaging learners and acknowledging their achievements. The Faculty of Business has a diverse mix of programmes across four departments; Business Studies; Design & Creative Media; Tourism & Sport; and Law, Public Service & Education.

Students from the departments were presented with awards for ‘Best 1st Year student’, Lina Borske (Business Studies), Lia Ryan (Design & Creative Media) and Sean Birrell (Law). The ‘Best 2nd Year Student’ was presented to Sandra Olawale (Design & Creative Media), and Jia Min Tai (Law). The ‘Best Final Year Student’ went to Eimear Kennedy (Business Studies) and ‘Best Student in Life-Long Learning’ was awarded to Nora Gormley (Business Studies). Each Department also had various awards for the best student in specific disciplines/projects.

ATU student and prize winner Nora Gormley says; “Balancing life as a mature student while being an owner of a business, along with family commitments, has taken hard work and determination. Returning to education as a mature student was daunting, and I succeeded only through the support of family, friends, lecturers, and fellow classmates. For anyone contemplating returning to education, my advice is to do it. There is nothing like the sense of achievement you get when you take on a challenge and succeed at it.”

The Department of Business Studies presented awards to the ‘Best Student in Accounting’, Charley-Marie Gavigan; the ‘Best Student in Management’, Lauren Doherty; and an ‘Enterprise Development Award’ that was sponsored by ATU Donegal CoLab to Jodie Bell, Megan Bonner and Aoife Cannon.

The Department of Design and Creative Media had additional awards for ‘Best Competition Submission’, Hazel Gibbons; ‘Best International Competition Submission’, Sarah Denning; and ‘Best Design Project’, Shana Byrne.

The ‘Best Student in Design Theory’ was Shay Mc Paul and Andrea Da Silva Segovia was awarded the ‘Best Collaborative Project’ prize.

The Department of Law, Public Service & Education presented students with awards for ‘Best Mock Trial Performance’ Alan Student and Susan Millar; ‘Best Contribution to

Student Experience’, Pierce Butler; and ‘Best Student Engagement & Contribution to Law Programme’, Callum Orme.

The Department of Tourism and Sport awarded students for the ‘Best Sports Student Performance & Wellbeing’ Erin Pyper; ‘Best Sports

Student Physical Education’, Julie Trearty; and ‘Best Sports Volunteer’, Gavin Maguire. The award for ‘Best Personal Fitness Instructor’ went to Niall Diver. The ‘Best Student Chef of the Year’ was Aoife O Donnell; ‘Best Pastry Chef’, Mark Curran; and ‘Best Front of House’, David

Keaney.

Finally, Dervla Dunnion studying the Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Athletic Therapy & Exercise Rehabilitation was presented with the award for ‘Overall Outstanding Student for Excellence’ within the Faculty.