Any college-level chemistry class can seem difficult. One Wayne State Univeristy student, who happens to be blind, took organic chemistry for two semesters.
Nicole Kada was born blind but she sees the world in a very inspiring way.
“You could be blind and say that you can’t do anything because you can’t see, therefore you just can’t but that’s just making excuses,” she said.
The 23-year-old is studying to become a dietitian and one of the courses she must pass is organic chemistry.
“Organic chemistry is all drawing structures and molecules, it’s basically an art class, times ten,” Kada said.
But if you can’t see or draw, how do you approach this class? She uses special paper and a Braille computer that helps her identify different shapes.
“Plastic paper that you put on a drawing board and you write with this pen and it raises it up in Braille so I can feel the molecules,” Kada said.
The student says she had to study much harder than other students to understand what was being taught in two semesters.
She met with a tutor everyday for hours and it paid off. She got two A's for the year.
“Most proudest moments and happiest too,” Kada said.
To celebrate, she got a tattoo of a molecule to be a permanent reminder of perseverance.
“When my kids tell me they can’t do something, I’m going to show them my tattoo and tell them yes you can because I can do it and I can’t see.”
Kada will be graduating next year but she hopes her story will inspire others
“As soon as you remove limitations, then you can accomplish anything,” she said.
