ATU graduate Shane seizes success in a sports career

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St Johnston footballer Shane Porter went from a reluctant student to a successful sports professional at ATU Donegal.

After a four-year break from his A-levels, Shane found the perfect pathway to return to education and achieve his goals in sports performance and nutrition.

Shane graduated from ATU in Sport & Exercise with Performance Practice (Hons) and a Master of Science in Sports Performance Practice and is now pursuing an IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition.

Shane’s drive for knowledge has led to significant opportunities within GAA. He has been a member of the Monaghan Senior backroom team since 2022 and recently joined Ardee St. Mary’s in Co. Louth as their Performance Nutritionist.

Shane originally attended Oakgrove Integrated College in Derry. After school, he took a break from formal education to work in the hospitality industry and explore his interest in physical education.

Having played football from the age of five, the interest in sport was always present and ATU Donegal’s Sport and Exercise (Common Entry) course had the perfect mix of nutrition, S&C, performance analysis and physiology.

The first year of college was a challenge, Shane admits, but as the weeks and months went on, he adapted and found the workload became more manageable.

“Overall I have had five very enjoyable years at ATU Donegal,” he said.

“The teachers and students made it a lot easier as the modules were highly interactive with coaching of fellow students and younger students from a local national school, while also involving group work with different classmates.”

Opportunities to learn on the field soon arose.

Shane says: “In year three of the Honors Degree we were given the opportunity to do an internship. I decided to join Institute Football Club where I did analysis of matches and training and also focused on the opposition teams which was a great experience.

“During the Master of Science myself and other members of the class had the opportunity to be part of a nutrition internship with the Donegal GAA Academy which was aimed at all underage groups from under 14 – under 20, what a brilliant experience was to work with underage elite GAA players.”

Now his experience in the field of nutrition has led him to be a guest speaker at various schools, clubs and various events.

Returning to teaching, Shane said, “was a brilliant decision”.

“I would highly recommend attending ATU Donegal. I found the sports teachers very approachable and attentive when it came to assignments or general matters. Within the sports training I noticed that it opened many doors and gave me many opportunities outside ATU.”

ATU Donegal will be holding an open day at the Letterkenny campus on Thursday, November 14 (9:30am to 1:00pm).

Shane’s advice is to definitely visit and ask questions about your future.

“I would recommend attending an open day as it allows you to see the campus facilities. It also gives you a great opportunity to meet current students and teachers and find out more about the courses and clubs that ATU Donegal offers,” he said.

Take a campus tour of the university, meet current ATU students and discover what ATU Donegal has to offer.

The event includes the following:
– 10 department overview conversations
– Student life, scholarships, accommodation discussions
– Campus tours
– Stand for student support and career advice

Register to participate in this event via:

ATU graduate Shane seizes success in a sports career was last modified: November 1, 2024 Through Rachel McLaughlin

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