Visually impaired student tops engineering exam

Alfaisal University recently awarded an engineering degree to a visually impaired student, Naqi Haider Rizvi, who attained the highest GPA in his year.
Rizvi’s graduation commencement speech earned applause from the audience, which included high- ranking officials including Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Prince Khaled bin Bandar, and Faisal Al-Mubarak, provost of Alfaisal University.
Rizvi told Arab News: “Although I am visually impaired, I studied hard to fulfill my parent’s wish. The support and confidence of my family and teachers, allowed me to cross all hurdles and realize my goal.”
Talking about the preparations, he said, “It is not necessary to hold a book in one’s hand day and night.
I tried to study on a regular basis and increased my study hours in order to cover the course material. If one really wants to concentrate on studies, peace of mind is vital. It is very important to have sufficient sleep before the exams.”
Rizvi hails from a South Asian family, born to an Indian mother and Pakistani father.
“I am grateful to my family for their support and strong belief in my abilities. Although I am a child with special needs, they pushed me to my best and treated me like a normal child.”
According to his parents, impossible was not in Rizvi’s dictionary and his strong conviction that everything is possible allowed him to attain the highest GPA. “We are very proud of him,” they said.
The inspiration for him to score the highest marks came from a determination to excel and overcome all obstacles. He said that many people assumed engineering to be an impossible goal for a completely blind person.
“I achieved this with perseverance and determination. I would like to tell people that vision is more important than sight” he added.
About his future aspirations, Rizvi said, “I want to pursue my post graduate degree and Ph.D. But before that, I would like to work for a year or two to gain some experience in industrial engineering.
The most important thing, which I would definitely like to do, is to help visually impaired individuals and motivate them to pursue science or other technical disciplines in order to alter the perception people harbor toward visually challenged individuals.”
“I attribute this success to my university teachers, family and friends once again for supporting me all the way and for having confidence in my abilities,” he added.
Saphia Ikram, the public relations and communication manager at Alfaisal University, said, “The University’s mission focuses on providing quality academics while remaining a student-centered institution.
Our faculty demonstrates care and commitment toward the student body; we are dedicated in our efforts to teach and support student’s learning.”