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St Johnston footballer Shane Porter went from hesitant student to 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.
An ATU graduate of Sport & Exercise with Performance Practice (Hons) and a Master of Science in Sports Performance Practice, Shane is now pursuing an IOC Diploma in Sports Nutrition.
Shane’s drive for knowledge has led to significant opportunities in 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 hospitality and explore his interest in physical education.
Having played soccer from the age of five, the interest in sport was always there and ATU Donegal’s Sport and Exercise (Common Entry) course had the perfect mixture of nutrition, S&C, performance analysis and physiology.
The first year of college was challenging, Shane admits, but as weeks and months progressed, he adjusted and found the workload more manageable.
“Overall I had a really enjoyable five years at ATU Donegal,” he said.
“The lecturers and students made it a lot easier because the modules were very interactive with coaching fellow students and younger students from a local national school, whilst also having group work to do with different classmates.”
Shane Porter
The opportunities soon arose to learn on the field.
Shane said: “In year three of the Honours Degree, we were given the opportunity to complete work placement. I decided to join Institute Football Club where I was doing analysis on games and training and also focusing on the opposition teams which was a great experience.”
“During the Master of Science, myself and other members of the class were given the opportunity to be part of a nutrition internship with the Donegal GAA Academy which focused on all underage groups from under 14 – under 20 which was a brilliant experience working with underage elite GAA players.”
Now, his experience in nutrition has led him to guest speaking appearances at different schools, clubs and different events.
Returning to education, Shane said, “was a brilliant decision”.
“I would highly recommend attending ATU Donegal. I found the sport lecturers very approachable and attentive when it came to assignments or any general concerns. Within the sport course I found it opened a lot of doors and gave me a lot of opportunities outside of ATU.”
ATU Donegal is holding an Open Day on the Letterkenny campus on Thursday 14 November (9.30am to 1pm).
Shane’s advice is to make sure to visit and ask questions about your future.
“I would recommend attending an open day, as it gives you a chance to see around the campus facilities. It also gives you a great chance to meet current students and lecturers to find out more about the courses and clubs on offer at ATU Donegal,” he said.
Take a campus tour of the university, meet current ATU students and explore what ATU Donegal has to offer.
The event will include the following:
– 10 Department Overview Talks
– Student Life, Scholarships, Accommodation Talks
– Campus Tours
– Student Support Services and Careers Advice Stand
Sign up to attend this event at: https://loom.ly/GgsUKqg
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