Good things come in threes for Mark Hassack. When he graduates from the University of Teesside today, not only will he receive a First Class BA (Hons) degree in Business Management, but also two academic prizes, the In Biz Prize and the Chartered Management Institute Prize.

Mark, 22, from Redcar, east Cleveland, is now working as a business studies and information communication technologies (ICT) teacher at Eston Park Secondary School, in Middlesbrough.

He said: "I love teaching, the school is absolutely brilliant and the pupils are fantastic. I was really surprised when I was told about these two prizes, I couldn't believe it."

Mark's business degree is a contrast to his four A-levels in Christian theology, history, computing and general studies from St Mary's Sixth Form in Middlesbrough.

He said: "I chose business management because I wanted to do something completely different. The course offered variety, looking at every aspect of business.

"Marketing was my favourite subject. The lecturers made it really exciting and used real-life examples, such as television adverts and newspaper articles."

Mark decided early in his degree to aim for a teaching career, and returned to his former secondary school, Sacred Heart, in Redcar, to observe and help with lessons.

He said: "The degree has given me a good background for teaching, as you had to give presentations in most of the modules and half included some element of ICT. My parents are really proud of me."

His final year dissertation looked at six non-broadcast adverts from billboards, newspapers, magazines, which had been banned for various reasons. He conducted an online survey on whether the bans were an over-reaction. Nearly 200 people responded, with most saying they were.