St Angela’s graduate’s taste for success
RECENT St Angela’s College graduate Claire Finnegan was this year’s recipient of the Aurivo Award for Academic Excellence as she completed her Bachelor of Applied Science (Nutrition, Food and Business Management). Claire celebrated her achievement at the College’s recent conferring ceremony held in the ATU Sligo, Knocknarea Arena, on Friday, November 11.
As part of their final year, students undertake a module titled ‘Food Innovation and New Product Development’ and it was at this time that Claire developed a tasty, ready-to-eat collagen-based snack designed for female athletes which helps both injury prevention and recovery. Claire’s brand called ‘Rollagen’ impressed guest judges so much so that they recognised her product for the award of ‘Most Innovative Food Product 2022’. Claire also went on to win a High Achieving Merit Award being placed in the top four students in the National Final of Enterprise Ireland Student Enterprise Awards 2022 and secured the associated prize money of €5,000. Claire describes her studies “the balance between nutrition, food and business aspects of my programme provided me with the foundation I needed to start my career in the food industry, using the knowledge and skills I had gained over the four years to develop my own food product, including the packaging and a business plan”. She continues: “On completion of final year, we were all able to look back and acknowledge the valuable learning we had gained which has now cumulated into a degree that offers practical skills but important business acumen”. Claire is now following her passion and working as a Food and Drink Industry Research Analyst at Mintel in London.
This CAO programme is aimed at students with a strong interest in food, nutrition and food product development as well as those who are interested in developing a diverse range of entrepreneurial skills and commercial insight. The programme prepares students for the challenges of producing foods safe for human consumption, developing more nutritious, healthier food options for dynamic, ever-changing markets and to date offers 100% graduate employment.
Speaking after the award presentation, Aurivo Head of HR, Marilyn Phillips, said: “We are proud to be associated with this Award and will continue to support young people like Claire who are bringing fantastic ideas and innovation to the food industry right across Ireland, through the newly formed Atlantic Technological University” Subject to formal incorporation, St Angela’s College will become one of nine campuses across the new Atlantic Technological University. From September 2022, students undertaking any programme at St Angela’s College will graduate with an ATU Award on successful completion.