An exceptional 26-year-old man, Loik Charles has emerged as the first-ever blind person to earn a Bachelor’s degree from the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) in San Antonio Texas, United States.
Loik Charles who hailed from Dominica suffered challenges while he was young, leading him to become visually impaired. In his narration, he explained that he was born premature with cataracts and was given too much oxygen by doctors.
“So the combination of these two messed up the membranes behind my eyes. I was told, I was not born blind.” he explained to Dominica News.
Loik Charles forged ahead in life, completing his high school education with an exceptional grade despite being differently-abled. He proceeded to the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and a minor in Marketing.
“I feel quite elated and ecstatic. It’s something that I have worked hard towards and I am thankful that God has blessed me to be able to see that day where I was able to cross the finish line of this chapter in my life,” he said.
Loik Charles explained that he is like anyone else as his challenges do not make him less capable. “I am like everybody else, you know. The only thing is I cannot see like everybody else, but it is not really a big deal,” he said.