LYIT student Melanie Doherty from Ballybofey has put Donegal on the map at the international I-STEP conference in Lithuania.

First year accounting student Melanie recently made an impressive educational achievement when she presented her business project in Lithuania.

I-STEP is an Erasmus Plus funded project which focuses on the development of course materials for international entrepreneurship education.

Students were tasked with forming a virtual international business and developing an international business idea. Working with students from the different countries, they teamed up to develop a range of ideas.  

Melanie was a member of the winning team following an ISTEP training week in Birmingham in February.

Melanie Doherty Putting Donegal on the Map

Having won the pitch with their online services application, Melanie and her business partners travelled to Kaunas, Lithuania, to present their experience and international business idea at the final ISTEP conference.

Melanie explains, “It really was an international project.  Not only was it a positive experience working with students from other countries, we were also tasked with coming up with a business idea that could be rolled out internationally and by the end of the project we were very proud of our app.  

“Presenting alongside Stein and Karolina to an audience of Lithuanian students and educators with the assistance of interpreters was a very different experience and I personally gained a lot through the process. Mainly I learned that all language barriers can be overcome if you work together towards a common goal”.

Karen McCormick European Project Officer at LYIT added, “Having four LYIT students involved in the ISTEP project has been a pleasure and we as a college are very proud of their efforts both in Birmingham and Melanie’s contribution in Lithuania.

” It is a testament to the calibre of student coming through LYIT and particularly to the students themselves who have conducted themselves so well in an international setting. I have no doubt that Melanie who represented us in Lithuania and her fellow students Lee, Aisling and Chloe who joined her in Birmingham in January will go on to achieve great things.”