Visually impaired Grade Nine student smashes CSEC exams

Fifteen-year-old Akira Allen has been grinning from ear to ear since Tuesday, and the teenager is deserving of her jubilancy.

The Immaculate High School third former not only secured five Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects under her belt, but said she surprised herself by getting a grade one in biology, physics, chemistry and English language, and a grade two in mathematics.

“Preparation for the exam was really tedious and stressful and I managed to pull through. I did extra classes with my science teacher, and I studied on my own. When I checked and saw the results yesterday (Tuesday), I couldn’t believe my eyes, because the subjects that I thought I didn’t do well in, I did extremely well,” she said.

But what makes Akira’s story even more remarkable is that she lives with a condition that has tremendously affected her eyesight, which, at times, has made learning difficult. Akira was diagnosed with albinism when she was just two years old. The condition she said, caused her to have nystagmus, a condition that causes rapid, involuntary, and uncontrollable movements of the eyes. They can swing from side to side, up and down, or in circles. It stems from problems in how the brain, inner ear balance system, and eye muscles work together.

“This has altered my vision and I have extremely poor eyesight. I have to get special accommodations at school and, at times, it was really hard for me to keep up in my classes. I also kind of listen in class and then I try to teach back the topic to myself. However, I did get extra time for my CSEC examinations, but they were not able to make the print bigger for me, so that contributed to me feeling anxious about result day,” she said.

Just as excited as Akira is her father, Sergeant Kevaun Allen. Like his daughter, he said was overjoyed when he saw the examination results.

“If there wasn’t a room inside the house I would have reached to the stars. I jumped and screamed because I know the sacrifices that she made. She was absent from school for a part of the exam preparation period, as she was ill for about a month. But, although she was sick, I requested time off from work to stay with her, just in case she needed the assistance,” Allen said.

Allen noted that Akira wanted to start doing the subjects from Grade Eight.

“But I told her to hold on and get her feet wet in high school. I initially wanted her to do four subjects, but she told me that she could manage five, so she did mathematics, English language, biology, chemistry, physics and she excelled in all of them,” Allen added.

For Akira, this accomplishment brings her a step closer to achieving her dreams of becoming a medical doctor.

“I want to become a general surgeon and my passion for medicine started from as long as I can remember. Every year since basic school I have been a doctor for Career Day,” she said.