Angela shows true grit to win top award

Prize winner Angela Jobson was diagnosed as having dyslexia at the start of her Computing degree at the University of Teesside - but showed the grit and determination to succeed and gained a First Class honours degree in Multimedia.

Angela, 32, is originally from Hartlepool and now lives in Norton, where she has set up her own business producing education software.

As well as being presented with her First Class degree, Angela has won the Catherine Dummigan Memorial Prize - awarded for the first time last year in memory of the popular Senior Lecturer in Computing who looked after students with disabilities in the School of Computing & Mathematics.

"Catherine was a great help after I was diagnosed as having dyslexia in my first year. She arranged for me to have more time during written exams and for my work to be proof read. I also had access to specialist equipment to over come the problems of note taking. Although I was very determined to succeed, I couldn't have done so well on the course without this help.

"Now - getting a First and a special prize in memory of Catherine who died last year - makes all the effort so worthwhile," she said.

Angela, who is the daughter Joseph & Sylvia Jobson, of, Elwick, Hartlepool, left Teesside High School, Eaglescliffe, in 1988 with couple of A’ levels, but her results were a bit disappointing and she went to work in office jobs and in a call centre.

"In the 1980s, they didn't really recognise dyslexia; but at Teesside University I found a different attitude and was given the help I needed to succeed," she said.

Angela particularly enjoyed working with computers to create digital art and says: "My course concentrated on virtual reality and educational multimedia and I have now set up my own business, Middleton House Productions. We produce education software for children using virtual reality technologies and tailor our software to meet the National Curriculum specifications," she said.

Her first software production 'Going to the seaside' is aimed at showing six and seven year-olds what exciting things could be found on a beach and is modelled on a virtual Saltburn-by-the-Sea.

She got the idea for the business during her final year project, when she produced a software package based on recollections of World War Two, collected via her own website, www.wartimememories.co.uk. This was a huge success with teachers and pupils of Ingleby Mill Primary School who assisted by testing the software during lessons about the Second World War.

About setting her own business, Angela said "I didn't want to leave the North East to go and work in London or Manchester when I graduated. That's unfortunately where most of the jobs are in my field; so I took the decision to become self employed and set up my own business.

Fiona Hyslop, one of the University's Advisor for students with disabilities, said: "It is great to see students like Angela succeeding like this and the University is delighted that their achievements and the work of Catherine Dummighan in the area of student support can be recorded in this way."

For more information on the BSc (Hons) degree in Multimedia please call 01642 342939 or check the University of Teesside’s web site at www.tees.ac.uk

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