The graduates

More than 270 students from South East Essex College and the University of Essex's Southend campus gathered at the Cliffs Pavilion to mark the end of their studies.

The glittering evening was attended by about 800 guests, helping to make it the biggest graduation ceremony the campus had ever seen.

Students notched up a record-breaking 14 first class honours degrees, beating last year's total by two.

Certificates were presented to students who had studied a range of courses and qualifications, from BA and BSc honours degrees, to HNDs, HNCs and Foundation degrees.

Guest of honour, paralympic gold medallist Danny Crates, 34, was warmly applauded as he received an honoury degree for his services to sport.

Among the many excited students donning their cap and gowns were course- mates Kat Hughes, 20, and Measha Emmons, 21, who both achieved a distinction in their Peforming Arts HNDs.

Kat, of Buckingham Road, Hockley, said: "I was really pleased with the result. It was quite a stressful course and I put a lot of hard work into it, particularly the directing project. I am going to take a year out and then hopefully follow a career in musical theatre."

Measha, of Morrins Close, Great Wakering, hopes to carve out a career teaching drama.

Of her graduation outfit, she said: "It's not something you'd wear everyday, but you feel proud to put it on."

Also lining up to receive her degree certificate was mum-of-two Janice Bodell, 53, of Monksford Drive, Hullbridge, who took up her BSc in Social Studies in the wake of her divorce.

She said: "It's given me loads of confidence. I met lots of new people and had a great time studying."

For Auric Abebrese, 37, of Baxter Avenue, Southend his hopes of securing his dream IT job are a step closer after completing his Foundation Degree in Network Technology.

He said: "This will hopefully open doors for me to go into the IT profession."

Speaking before the ceremony, Danny Crates said: "I'm honoured to be receiving the degree. I've given more than nine years to my sport and it's nice to feel that's appreciated, and to be receiving it in such a successful year for the college and its students is a bonus."

Jan Hodges, principal and chief executive of South East Essex College, added: "This year we awarded 14 firsts and had more people graduating than ever before. It's fantastic to celebrate the success of our students in this way."

ROLL OF HONOUR Association of Accounting Technician; Kevin Brooker, Suzanne Cole, Clare Cribbs, Abigail Kenney, Svetlana King, Stuart Mason, Robert Neumann, James Nunn, Lauren Smith, Tatiana Spencer, Tara Tovey, Lee Trayler, Lynn White, Janice Willmer, Denise Wybourn.

Advanced Therapeutic Counselling; Janet Ashworth, Lisa Berg, Mari Ann Bulley, Jason Butler, Brian Clark, Julie Collins, Irene Corrigan, Stephen John Ekins, Jeanette Evans, Donna Flack, Neil Giggs, Linda Laverack, Nicola Leck, Michael O'Hart, Mel Page, Jean Pierce, Rachel Rooks, Kim Synclair, Lindsey Veares, Ruth White, Sally Williams.

BA (Hons) Business Studies; Sidra Baloch, Benjamin Hutchens, Alison Vincent.

BA (Hons) Business Studies (Finance); Kelly Louise Adamson, Gemma Butcher, Jamie Ian Eves, Thomas Hayden.

BA (Hons) Business Studies (Human Resources); Sharon Mandy Brown, Gemma Doodes, Luke Tafadzwa Kanyepi, John Phillips, Katy Rumsby.

BA (Hons) Business Studies (Marketing); Luke Evers, Rachel Elizabeth Sperring, Ben Tinning.

BA (Hons) Digital Animation; Rachel Barras, Luke Barrett, Samuel Bell, Kamran Butt, Samantha Clarke, Patrick Collins, Craig Darran, Kim Gunn, Jack Mihlenstedt, Mark Pearce, Mathew Richens, Clare Rowley, Warren Lester Speak, Ralph Whittaker, Petr Yumashev.

BA (Hons) Early Years Education; Sarah Jane Bush, Saydi-Anne Drake, Sarah Farr, Laura Fox, Leanne Gower, Louise Gregory, Ruth Hall, Heather Halladay, Gemma Head, Suzanne Howell, Emma Louise Jenkins, Tracey Joy, Sarah Jean Layzell, Debbie Levett, Geraldine Lunn, Claire Mcleod, Lynsdey Metalli, Janet Mullally, Nazia Nabi, Charlotte Okonta, Kalaiselvi Ramachandran, Catherine Rowan, Joanne Heather Savage, Emma Scarborough, Laura Tunnell, Alexandra Van Der Burg, Victoria West, Donna Whitehead, Samantha Williams, Ferliene Willis.

BA (Hons) Early Years Education (part time); Lesley Carter, Beverley Anne Turley.

BA (Hons) Fashion Design; Danielle Clarke, Lyssa Coe, Aimee Cowcher, Kerrie Durkin, Carrie Earl, Rahima Gorji, Louise Jones, Karen Martin, Joyce Peprah, Kirsty Rea Radley, Stacey Simons, Melanie Smith, Chantale Wildman.

BA (Hons) Fine Art; Thomas Brooker, Nicholas Buer, Thomas Dicapite, Beth Dowdeswell, Lynne Grech, Emma Mower, Lianne Price, Ann Robson.

BA (Hons) Graphic Design; Jenny Bodenham, Stuart Garneys, Grace Hennessy, Melissa James, Ben Stephen Jones, Monny Lam, Philippa Neller, Ian Newman, Ciaran O'Shea, Samantha Pickering, Nikki Shrimplin, David Woods.

BA (Hons) Interior Design; Loren Davenport, Jessica Ham, Keeley Hood, Rachel Andrea Jones.

BA (Hons) Journalism; Kayleigh Gracie, Svend Joscelyne, Cathryn Mann, Alexandra Page, Karen Fiona Rachdi, Rik Salmon, Christopher Selfe, Johanne Springett, Katy Taylor, Donna Taylor, Christie Tucker, Rebecca West.

BA (Hons) Music Production; Marcus Avery, Brendan Connell, Fred Deer, Andrew Proctor, Elizabeth Turner.

BA (Hons) Post Compulsory Education Studies; Nigel Beckford.

BA (Hons) Special Education Studies; Josephine Adams, Laraine Clark, Edmore Gondo, Douglas Gonese, Denise Alexandra Harrington, Gary Lee Jenkin-Smith, Sharon Norris, Sithembile Sibanda, Rosalind Skipper, Lisa Michelle Stow.

BA (Hons) Television Production And Screen Media; Helen Ansell, Michael Carey, Gregory Chambers, James Elliott, Aaron Emptage, Lee Goodship, Michael Hopkins, Lara Louise Ellen Howard, Steven Ladd, Paul Martin, Ian Masters, Sushil Mirchandani, James Mitchell, Kyle Pullinger, Callum Rees, Isaiah Sam-Amaga, Joseph Patrick Short, Louise Sullivan, Jamie Wheeler, Luke Wholey, Christopher Windle.

BSc (Hons) Computing; Sertan Arabaci, Philip Cole, Samuel Sexton.

BSc (Hons) Computing (Internet Technology); Andrew Few, Christopher Holmes, Michael Hunter, Sarah Johnson, Jo Orsi, Michael Sharpe.

BSc (Hons) Network Technology; Ryan Bonnet, Andrew Brock, Jason Caster, Timothy Smith, Matthew Wing.

BSc (Hons) Social Studies; Mark Arnold, Cheryl Barham, Janice Bodell, Beverly Bryan, Stephen Cook, Laura Dallimore, Hannah Guppy, Caroline Hepplewhite, Daisy Horn, Kate Reid, Lindsay Sorrell, Donna Stalley, Lauren Stevens, Julie Thompson.

BSc (Hons) Sports Studies; Ian Robert Byford, Lewis Dallas, Kevin Dearman, Ben Edwards, Sam William Ing, Ritchie Naylor, Jade Tilbury, Natalie Warren.

Certificate in Education; Richard Bunker, Peter Golbourn, Nicola Hollington, Nicola O'Brien, Gemma Peake, Paul Sampson, Hazel Taylor, Claire Anne Walker, Andy Weaver, Janet White, Neil Austin.

Certificate in Management Studies; Judith Anne Saxon, Angela Toynton.

City & Guilds 7407 Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 2; Reilly Flynn Allum, Douglas Belton, Claire Benton, Deborah Broomfield, Karon Buckman, Lynne Chaplin, Cara Colbourn, Markus Copping, Gillian Cross, Wendy Jane Tina Davis, Damien Anthony Errington, Vernon Harris, Sabine Harwardt, Michael McKenzie, Christina Middleton, Raymond Pellegrini, Lesley Ann Poole, Mary Tracey Smith-Gillard, Paul Spencer, Trevor Michael Suckling, Helen Townsend, Praful Whiteman, Owen Williams.

City & Guilds 7407 Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 1; Penny Free, Annegret Power, Nanthaya Thongbuntham.

Diploma in Management Studies; Andrea Pagnutti, James Waldron.

ESOL Level 4 Subject Specialist; Josephine Debelius, Anjani Lund, Liz Mackenzie.

FdA Business Studies; Dawn Cranefield, Dephine Manjoro, Dayanand Rama.

FdSc Internet Technology; Thomas Georg Arbesser-rastburg, Adam Lee Churnside, James David Craig, Joseph Peter Furley, Farzad Godarzi, Iqbal Hussain, Susan Roberton, Jonathan Wenn, Russell White, Joseph Gillett, Auric Boakye Abebrese, Conrad De-koning, Martyn James Hogben, Luke David Taylor.

FdSc Network Technology (part time); Frank Cheffins, Luke Spooner.

Higher Certificate Business Studies; Umair Valeed Choudhary, Teri Ann Crawford, Roger Slater.

Higher Certificate Fashion Design; Carrie Arnold.

Higher Diploma Business Studies; Jaiena Mistry.

Higher Diploma Fashion Design; Lauren Lancaster.

HNC Construction; Mohammed Afzaal, Matthew Blowers, Ross Brown, James Michael Collings, Paul Gower, Michael Lovett, Christian McAniskey, Fin Mckie, William Robert Monte, Michael Paul O'Dell, Sean O'Sullivan, Christopher Rixon, Matthew Taylor, Lee Virgin, James Wakeling.

HNC Engineering; Christopher Argent, Ian Brown, John Hocking, Shaun Wheeler.

HND Performing Arts (Music Production); Jonathan Kemp, Hayley Kimpton, Patrick O'riordan, Joseph Rodgers, Sean Townsend, Stacey Elaine Wallis.

HND Performing Arts (Theatre); Nadine Carter, Measha Emmons, Simon Gibson, Katherine Hughes, Kate Keeble, Jacqueline Pearson, Martin Perks, Jane Rath, Lisa Symeon.

HND Photography; Emma Clark, Liam Grant, Laura Nayler, Christopher William Vassallo.

NVQ4 Health & Social Care; Pauline Attfield, Emma Louise Bennett, Anne Louise Boulton, Deborah Jane Chapman, Pamela Joy Coleman, Joan Constable, Karen Elizabeth Craig, Breda Dollaghan, Valerie Gardener, Paula Dawn Goldsworthy, Jackie Green, Trudy Hunter, Nicola Lesley Johnson, Adele Saunderson, Caroline Stradling, June Woollard.

Post Graduate Certificate in Education; Rob Armstrong, Angelique Budd, Hannah French, Jeffrey Gilbert, Carly Head, Helen Hewland, Ryan Hodgson, Tracy Kilbourn, Robert Little, Rathi Devi Raman, Vicky Maria Roberts, Stephen Sadler, Hayley Sarah Watson.

Teaching English oo Speakers of Other Languages Trinity; Barbara Corti, Isobel Grindley, Janet Hamkari, Jackie Hoey, Theresa Mary Honeyands, Maria Keeley, Nicholas Mcphie, Pascale Audrey Renee Riffault.