Stephen, 22, of Norton, who graduated with a BEng (Hons) Instrumentation and Control Engineering, is working as an instrument/electrical engineer at SABIC UK Petrochemicals Limited at Wilton, near Redcar.
He also won the Cecil M Yuill Foundation student award for achievement in any field, which makes him Student of the Year.
Stephen said: 'I chose Teesside University because of its close links with industry along with the technical knowledge you get from doing the course. Teesside is only one of three places which offer instrumentation and control engineering and it is well regarded.
'I really enjoyed the degree, which included lectures and technical learning, group activities and group projects, learning about various things to do with the industry. There was also the opportunity for industrial placements and a chance to get some real practical experience.'
During his degree, Stephen completed work placements at Lucite International in Billingham and Huntsman Tioxide in Hartlepool.
He said: 'Both enabled me to get some good experience and exposure to what the job would be like, working with the teams to see how the plants operate and what they do day-to-day.
'The course gave us good experience of working as a team and good technical knowledge, along with a good idea of what to expect when I started the job. The experience from my placements and knowledge from my degree prepared me for work.
'As an instrument/electrical engineer, I am involved in the running of the LDPE plant, looking at maintenance and further improvements. I work closely with the engineering team and the technicians on the plant.'
He added: 'I’d say to anyone wanting to work in the chemical industry to study at Teesside. The University is well regarded for engineering and has a good reputation, so as long as you put the work in, you will see results.
'The lecturers were fantastic and always went out of their way to provide help and assistance when required, even outside of normal lecturing time.'
Along with the Cecil M Yuill Foundation award for achievement in any field, he was also awarded the Leni Oglesby Prize for Achievement, along with the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers Scholarship and Constantine Wright Scholarship.
He said: 'I was fortunate to be named Student of the Year, which I’m both very pleased and surprised by. I’m pleased for the recognition of all the hard work I put in.'