Dental duo completed their Teesside University journey together

Married couple Ivett and Liam Hollands, who relocated to Teesside to complete the same degree, are celebrating academic success.

Ivett and Liam, who graduated from the BSc (Hons) Dental Hygiene in the School of Health & Life Sciences, are originally from Eastbourne. They applied to Teesside University after visiting the campus during an open day.

Ivett, 27, said: “We were already working as dental nurses and wanted to progress in our careers. We came to an open day, and we were both really impressed by the facilities at Teesside University. The people I met put me at ease after the long journey from Eastbourne.

“I found Teesside really welcoming and I liked the structure of the degree course. The 24-hour library really appealed to me too.”

Liam, 26, said: “Teesside was one of a limited number of universities offering this course. I came to the open day with Ivett and we both felt that the atmosphere was calm and welcoming, more than other universities we had looked at.

“I knew little about Teesside University, apart from that it was up north. It was one hundred percent a leap of faith.”

Ivett added: “I didn’t know much about Teesside, but I had heard that people were very friendly. When we came to the open day that was proven right; the students from the previous year were very informative and friendly.”

Both are now working in dental hygiene at separate dental practices in York and will continue to be based in Middlesbrough.

Liam said: “We both spent a lot of time using the University’s library facilities and I really enjoyed the dental specific modules of the degree.

Ivett added: “During the degree, I really enjoyed learning about teeth formation and finding out more about statistics regarding oral health in various areas. The statistics have shown how important the hygienist job role is in supporting the public with their oral health.”

Liam added: “We enjoyed meeting new people, learning, and progressing our clinical skills. We also really enjoyed finding out more about what to expect when we graduate and progressing in our careers.”

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