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Luke Johnston

Steven Bachelor of Business (Hons) 

Graduation Day is the celebration of academic achievement and the marking of a new exciting journey ahead for many students. This day was an important milestone for Luke Johnston as he left his graduation ceremony at ATU Donegal for the grand opening of his new business venture – Luca’s Restaurant.

Having completed his Leaving Certificate at the Royal and Prior College in Raphoe, Co.Donegal, Luke began studying on the Bachelor of Business (Hons) programme at ATU Donegal. “I loved the course from the beginning and I knew instantly that it was the correct choice for me. Having grown up working in family businesses over the years, I was excited to further develop my skills and business knowledge.”

October 2018, on graduation night, Luke and his brother Caine opened the doors to Luca’s and never looked back. Growing from strength to strength Luca’s restaurant adds to the wonderful food scene in Letterkenny serving authentic wood fired pizza, pasta, burgers and many other culinary delights.

“While studying at ATU Donegal, I learned about the principals of business with accountancy, marketing and management modules. This invaluable knowledge helped me to understand how business operates and it is something that I practice in my own business now on a daily basis”.

The accountancy modules gave me an insight into the financial side of a business and inevitably taught me how to make my business profitable. The marketing module has aided me to design posters and social media campaigns to market Luca’s. On a regular day at Luca’s, I manage a team of 12 – 15 employees. The management module prepared me for this aspect and most importantly, it provided me with the skills to build good relationships with my customers.

“The lecturers at ATU Donegal were more than helpful and approachable”.

“In my final year, I made use of The Curve, which is a learning support hub within the college. Academic staff from The Curve guided me with grammar and proof reading on my dissertation which was a great help”.

Luke was always shooting for the stars and was very determined graduating from ATU Donegal with a first class honours degree in 2018. “I look back fondly on my time at ATU Donegal and how much I enjoyed the learning experience. I loved the presentations and the different projects that we got to work on as part of the programme. We got to study a local company and learn all about how they operated in Donegal and provided employment. I was fascinated with the company that I studied and I got to go out and have a tour of the company. This is a very fond memory”.

Luke continues to focus his attention into his wonderful business which continues to grow. “I could never speak highly enough of ATU Donegal”, says Luke.