A DEAF Fiji student, 22-year-old Krishneer Sen has won a prestigious scholarship to a university in the United States.
Born deaf and mute, Krishneel, who is from Sigatoka, worked hard at Hilton Special and Marist Brothers' High schools to secure a place at Unitec University in New Zealand, from which he has just graduated with a diploma in information technology.
He won the World Deaf Leadership Scholar Award in recognition for his hard work for the deaf community which will allow him to attend Gallaudet University in Washington DC.
Gallaudet is the only university in the world that has courses specifically designed to accommodate deaf and hearing-impaired students.
Speaking through sign language translated by his mother, Reena Sen, Krishneer said he was very happy and proud of his achievements.
"I am greatly privileged and humbled to be selected for the award and this is a big achievement for the deaf community in Fiji," he said.
He said he was grateful for his parents' and friends' support during his school days.
He has worked with the deaf community in Auckland and says studying in New Zealand allowed him to be more independent and interact effectively with normal people. "I found it easier to study in New Zealand because there were lots of interpreters," he said.
Come January, Krishneer plans to study for a Bachelor of Science degree in computer science at Gallaudet University.
"I intend to become an information technology teacher for the deaf students in Fiji," he said.
His mother said Krishneer freely communicated with other family members as they all knew sign language. "I leant the sign language with him when he was a kid and then I taught all family members," she said.
Krishneer said Fiji needed more interpreters for students like him.
"I would like to urge parents to support their children especially if they are deaf or mute," he said.
