Despite having less than 10 percent vision because of a progressive eye condition, Aiden Cheng Tsz-in of Wah Yan College, Hong Kong has been named one of the 24 top scorers in this year’s Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination.
Cheng attained the top grade of 5** in six subjects, including his electives in history, geography and economics, while living with a worsening congenital eye disease that carries the risk of complete blindness.
He was diagnosed with a congenital eye disease shortly after birth. He now has myopia of more than 2,000 degrees and nystagmus, with less than 10 percent of his vision remaining.
Despite the challenges, Cheng overcame the learning difficulties brought by his visual impairment with the support of his family, teachers and friends. He used a tablet computer to enlarge learning materials, copied notes word by word and spent about 10 hours a day revising, often studying until 1 am or 2 am.
A graduate of Chinese Methodist School (North Point), Cheng also balanced his studies with active participation in extracurricular activities throughout secondary school. He served as captain of the school chess team and won multiple awards in inter-school competitions.
He was also fully funded by Access Abroad Hong Kong to join an academic exchange tour at the University of Cambridge.
Although Cheng received admission offers from four universities in the United Kingdom, he plans to stay in Hong Kong. He said a visit to the High Court with his teachers in Form Three had inspired his interest in law.
Cheng hopes to enroll in the Bachelor of Social Sciences (Government and Laws) and Bachelor of Laws double-degree program at the University of Hong Kong, intending to become a barrister and bring equality through law.
