"‘Don’t be afraid to do something different. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box, to do something completely different than your friends. I am incredibly proud that I made such a perfect choice for me as a sixth-year student.”
Agriculture student Ciara, from Co Meath, has chosen a different path before and during her studies at DkIT. Although she had the points to get into a Dublin University, Ciara put the BSc (Hons) Agriculture at Dundalk IT down as number one on her CAO form, with the educational partnership with Teagasc, Ballyhaise Agricultural College being a massive part of her decision maing process. Ciara loves the amount of time students on her course devote to hands-on work at Ballyhaise.
“It is definitely more practical than other courses,” she says.“There are three days a week practical experience in Ballyhaise in first and second year, and two days a week in third year.”
In the third year of the four-year degree, students specialise in either sustainable agriculture or agri-food production. Ciara developed a passion for the agri-food side, choosing a different pathway from many of her peers ,
“Agriculture is what got me into the course but once I was on it, I developed a big interest in the food side. I liked the modules I was doing. When I finish, I will have a background both in sustainable farming and food production.”
Ciara also organised a 16-week placement in northern Germany, with Landguth, Germany’s leading producer of premier pet food in the summer of 2023. She applied for and was awarded an Agricultural Science Association bursary, and this enabled her to help fund her placement in Germany.
Ciara is also a class rep, and the President of the DkIT Ag Society.
