Jess Francis
    
         
    
 
Jess achieved First Class Honours in her degree in History and Journalism BA (Hons). 
“I still can’t believe it!” said the former Brixham College student. “It was a really proud moment for both me and my family when I found out I’d achieved a First as I had my fair share of hurdles along the way. 
“It was tough finishing my degree during the pandemic - both physically and mentally - but the support I received from my lecturers and tutors, as well as from the support services and counselling and mental health team at ²ÝÁñÉçÇøµØÖ·, was invaluable. To be fair, this was the case throughout the course, not just during the pandemic.” 
“I’ve never been a really confident person and have sometimes lacked self-belief,” Jess added. “So, I just want to say a massive thank you to Christine Challand, whose feature writing module in second year was a real turning point for me as her encouragement and positivity gave me confidence. With this new-found confidence from my Journalism lecturers, I submitted entries in two categories of the Midlands Media Student Awards and was shortlisted in both.” 
Jess is now pursuing a career in journalism, possibly in the media department of her beloved Torquay United. 
“My journalism placement at Torquay United Football Club helped me realise just how much I would love to work in the media department at a football club,” she said. “I still volunteer there on match days and I just love it. So, I think ideally, I would love to work at a football club, but I also loved radio presenting and magazine production in the journalism side of my degree.” 
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