Loading ...This blind Muslim refugee just graduated from Cambridge. His story will inspire you. He was born totally blind in Iraq.
Source: Step Feed
By: Rayana Khalaf/Contributor
Allan Hennessy is a name you will want to always keep in mind for a daily dose of motivation.
He is blind, Muslim, gay, and a refugee. He has broken free of the limitations typically associated with these labels and made it all the way to the fourth top university in the world.
In an interview with the BBC, Hennessy explains how he defied all odds and managed to graduate from the United Kingdom’s prestigious Cambridge University with a first-class law degree, finishing fourth in his year.
Meet Allan
Source: Facebook/Allan Hennessy
Hennessy was born totally blind in 1995 in Baghdad, Iraq – which was still recovering from the 1990-1991 Gulf War at the time.
Hopes of gaining sight were bleak for Hennessy back home, prompting his father to sell all his belongings to move the family to London, where they sought asylum.
There, Hennessy underwent an operation that restored partial sight in his left eye.
“Since then I’ve just been rocking on with the little sight I have,” he tells the BBC.
Hennessy explains that his family lived a rather luxurious life in Iraq and suffered “a real culture shock” living as refugees on London council estates.
A baby born blind in a war-torn country becomes a top student at a world-leading university. This is Allan’s story: http://rnib.in/2tIxBCn
In 2012, he applied to study law at Cambridge University, becoming the first member of his family to attend university. He was one of only seven people with impaired sight to be accepted at the university that year.
This summer, Hennessy graduated from Fitzwilliam College, one of the constituent colleges of the University of Cambridge, finishing fourth out of 220 students. In addition to that, he wrote two papers which were ranked first among all others.
Having graduated college, Allan is now set for a prestigious scholarship at law school.
“You have every right to leave your lane” – Allan Hennessy
https://www.facebook.com/BBCFamilyNews/videos/1524553790941016/
“I was always defiant in the face of my disability,” says Hennessy.
“All my life I’ve been told I cannot, must not, should not and would not. The disabled stereotype is subdued, helpless – and the biggest struggle for me is to overcome that stigma.”
He explains that he has always defied people’s expectations and pursued all his ambitions, as his condition never stopped him from trying the activities he finds interest in, from sky diving and bungee jumping to having an active sex life and writing opinion articles for The Guardian.
He goes on to say that he is proud of his stereotype-smashing personality: “I am bawdy, I am flirtatious, I am smart, I am social, and I do fall in love … and I will never ever apologize for it.”
He then sends people around the world an inspirational message, saying:
“It takes a lot of confidence, self love and self-worth to realize that you are capable. You have every right to leave your lane. You really don’t have to subscribe to the life that has been written for you.”
