A SUCCESSFUL student from Teesside University has become the first recipient of the Barry and Ann Walker prize, which aims to reward high achievers during their studies.

Jake Clayton, 23, from Middlesbrough, received £500 and a trophy for achieving the highest mark on the Employability for Business module of his degree.

Mr Clayton, a final year BA (Hons) Business Management student, said: “I was really surprised to be told I’d been awarded this prize, but it’s great to get this recognition which has really motivated me during the final year of my degree.”

After studying in Leeds, Mr Clayton moved to London to begin a career as a project manager in the IT industry, before deciding to return to his hometown to continue his education.

“Working in London was a great experience; I worked in the City of London and also Canary Wharf and was lucky enough to also travel abroad with my role. But to enable me to progress in my career I needed a degree, so after hearing positive things from friends who had previously studied at Teesside, I returned home to study at the university,” he said.

Katherine Hierons set up the award, which is named as a tribute to her parents, to support the next generation of students.

After graduating with a law degree, she went on to win a scholarship to complete an MBA (Master of Business Administration) in 2010.

“I've been very lucky as the Crown Prosecution Service, who I was working for at the time, part-sponsored me to complete the law degree and then winning a full scholarship to undertake the MBA at Teesside was amazing” she said.

“I’m hoping that by awarding a prize to a student it's a way of giving something back and hopefully will help to inspire.”