A DETERMINED student has come out on top after never letting her deafness stop her from reaching for her dreams.

Naomi Broughton, of Stokesley, near Middlesbrough, graduated from Teesside University with a first-class BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies degree and was awarded the Professor Oglesby Prize for Achievement.

Profoundly deaf from birth, the 25-year-old communicates using speech, lip-reading and sign language.

She said: “I try not to let my deafness stop me from reaching my potential and dreams.

The degree I completed was a very inspiring and challenging course.

“It not only enhanced my knowledge, but it helped me to develop my personal, academic and social skills, while also giving me an insight into good practice.”

The former pupil of Beverley School for the Deaf, in Middlesbrough, and Prior Pursglove Sixth Form College, in Guisborough, is now working as a participation officer with the National Deaf Children’s Society, based in London.

She said: “My role involves preparing presentations and travelling around the country visiting schools and youth clubs, engaging deaf and hearing-impaired children in activities and networking.”

She has volunteered with the National Deaf Children’s Society for the past year and is preparing to travel to Fiji for six months to work in a boarding school for deaf children