Determined Student Who Lost Eyesight Chases Dream, Proudly Graduates
- Aviwe Mado a young man who lost his eyesight at only 16 years old just graduated with a social sciences degree
- Mado, who says that being a blind student was very hard, is now planning on studying towards an LLB
- Mado says that the fact that he has graduated serves as a wonderful motivation for people in his condition
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Aviwe Mado from eMahemini village in the Eastern Cape recently became a University of Pretoria graduate and this is something he is very proud about. The young BSocSci degree in Industrial Sociology and Labour Studies student lost his eyesight when he was only 16 years old after he was born with glaucoma.
Source: UGC
His disability did not however stop him from obtaining a degree and moving closer to his dream of working inside the Constitutional Court, inspiring others, which he says he hopes to be doing in the next 5 years.
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“Getting a degree from UP has set me apart from other graduates,” he says. “The fact that I live with a disability but managed to get a degree is a win for me. It is also motivation for people in my village that they too can achieve their goals.”
According to Mado, his first year was the hardest as could not use a computer. Being in a new environment also threw a spanner in the works because he now had to familiarise himself with the surroundings.
Eventually, with some help from Juan Erwee, University of Pretoria's mobility trainer from the institution's disability unit, Mado started learning to lean more on different sources of technology than he did on humans for help.
Now that Mado has obtained his social science degree, he has already started toward his LLB which he hopes will take him straight to court. When asked what advice he had for people in a similar situation, Mado said:
"“Don’t let your disability prevent you from achieving your goals,” he says. “Greatness comes to those who act.”
In similar inspiring Briefly News, Lesego Ramadie is slowly changing the narrative around business and success in low-income South African areas. The young woman, who knows that determination pays off, sells trays of eggs on the side of a busy road. She also does deliveries in certain areas.
"Meet road-side hustler, Lesego Ramadie from Tembisa Township. She sells Royal Golden Eggs on the side of the road. We love to see a good hustle. We wish you lots of success in this difficult economy sis, you are our #ThursdayMotivation," a Briefly News tweet reads.
Impressed South Africans have shown her a ton of support and commended her for pushing through.
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Source: Briefly News
