Despite having one of her senses taken away at a young age, Melaniel V Vecina overcame the odds and earned the right to the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange & Study (YES) programme in the United States.
A report on “24 Oras” on Thursday said Vecina was picked from more than 8,000 applicants with and without disabilities from around the world. She will start her schooling in New York this August.
Other than the scholarship, Vecina has won numerous scholastic awards as well as “Paligsahan ng may K sa Kasaysayan at Kultura ng Pilipinas” history quiz competition by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) and the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) in 2014.
The young scholar lost her sight at the age of six from an infection, the report said
The report said despite her condition, Vecina would still help in performing house chores like taking care of her younger siblings.
With the scholarship, Vecina grew even more determined to become a lawyer like her idol, Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago.