Donegal Daily’s new feature series with Letterkenny Institute of Technology kicks off today, where we hear the stories of current students and their experiences on LYIT’s many courses in the run-up to the CAO deadline on February 1st.
Emer McLaughlin, is a second year BA (Hons) in Design in Fashion with Promotion student at Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT).
Emer, from Buncrana, did her Leaving Certificate in Scoil Mhuire Buncrana and always had a flare for design and drawing, even from as far back as junior infants.
Like many students, she didn’t think that a ‘career ‘ in Design was possible, she explored her options in English and in Music, and went on to study two years in Music post her Leaving Certificate but the interest in design and drawing remained.
Emer chose to study the Common Entry, Level 8 Honours Degree, in Design at LYIT in 2019. What interested her most about this programme was that as a Common Entry programme, it allowed her to explore all areas of Design in first year before she would make her degree specialism choice.
Emer commented, “The Common Entry Degree in Design at LYIT lets you try a little bit of everything, you get a taster of areas such as animation, photography, digital film, graphic design and also, fashion in first year. What I liked most about this is that it broadened my options and allowed me to make an informed decision about my degree specialism.”
Emer further added, “I then met with LYIT’s Fashion with Promotion lecturer Sharon Maxwell and it was Sharon’s passion for Fashion with Promotion that helped me to pick my degree specialism in Fashion with Promotion. In first year, we covered modules such as ‘life drawing’. We also explored new technologies associated with animation and I found this so interesting.
“What I love most about this programme is that it is practical and enjoyable and no one day is the same. For example, one minute we are in the photography studio focusing on fashion photography, and then the next minute we are in the LYIT fashion lab working with textiles and fabrics, it is so engaging and fun. In my first year, I became best friends with students from all over the world, my close friends on this programme were from Malaysia, Croatia and even the Aran Islands!”
LYIT’s Department of Design and Creative Media offers a wide and varied range of Level 6/7 and Level 8 CAO programmes.
As a second-year student, Emer now looks forward to her future in her programme of study. She looks forward to her work placement opportunities and dreams of a career developing her own clothing line, working in illustration, and working as an entrepreneur, the career opportunities are endless from this programme.
If she had to give advice to current Leaving Certificate students, she would advise students from Donegal to consider LYIT.
She adds, “Often students think that they have to go away to have the most amazing student experience.
“I am an example of a Donegal student studying at LYIT that is enjoying every minute of my programme.”
“If you are creative in any way, visit LYIT and explore their campus facilities, from the animation studio to the digital film and video suite, to the photography studio, the facilities are incredible at LYIT. During my time at LYIT, I have been blown away by the lecturers and the people that you meet on campus, the possibilities are endless at LYIT and I am really enjoying my time studying Fashion with Promotion.”
To find out more about the Design and Creative Media CAO programmes available at LYIT visit: https://www.lyit.ie/Study-at-LYIT/Find-a-course/?dis=6&lvl=100
At LYIT, your future is our focus.