ATU Donegal and the Faculty of Business are extremely proud to announce that one of our very own business students was invited to the Morrison Hotel, Dublin on April 14 as one of ten finalists for the GradIreland’s Female Undergraduate of the Year 2022 award.
Ciara Martin is in her third year of BBs in Marketing and had applied for the award back in January with an initial submission and subsequentially was asked to complete a further three online psychometric tests and virtual face-to-face assessment with award sponsors, Diageo, before receiving her invitation to the finals.
As one of four “Undergraduate of the Year” awards, according to the GradIreland website, the Female Undergraduate of the Year looks for: “students who are curious, driven, self-motivated, team-spirited and who love to turn ideas into action. We’re looking for someone who is authentic, shows integrity, respect for others and aspires to be a leader of the future.”
Ciara is a mature student in her third year of BBs in Marketing and is living and working in Donegal Town. Despite the fact that she was recovering from a spinal injury/surgery over the last 18 months, Ciara had not only managed to continue her studies, but also maintain, in her own words, “a decent GPA” . In her spare time, Ciara organises charity music events for local mental health organisations in Donegal with a focus on raising funding for counselling for young people in the area. To date the events, titled Returning Light, have raised over €10,000 for local charities. Returning Light recently hosted a small fundraiser in April for the Irish Red Cross and donated €450 to the Ukraine Crisis Appeal. During the pandemic, she also took on a Diploma in Renewable Energy and Physics, which she completed alongside the second year of her marketing degree.
The Head of Department of Business Studies, Patricia Doherty, wants to congratulate Ciara on behalf of the department and lecturers on her phenomenal achievement of being named a finalist for such a prestigious award and wishes her all the best in her future endeavours.
To learn more about Ciara’s charity events, visit the Returning Light Facebook page.