Just before stepping onto the stage to receive her trophy at the
“I am most thankful for the abilities that God has given me.”
It was a simple answer, but one that captures how Shifna sees the world. Rather than dwelling on challenges she has faced, she focuses on what she is able to do and the opportunities she has been given.
Today, Shifna is recognized as a Distinguished Student of Determination at the RAK Awards. When she reflects on her journey, she quickly turns the conversation to the people who helped make it possible. “The teachers are helping me. They are taking extra classes for me and giving individual support,”she says. “My friends also support me when I am doing activities. My parents motivate me and tell me, ‘You can do it. You can study well.’”
When Shifna's family moved to Ras Al Khaimah from Kerala, India, four years ago, finding a school proved far more difficult than they had expected. School after school turned them away, unsure how to support a student with visual impairment.
Then they arrived at Ideal English School. Principal Dr. Prasanna Bhaskar still remembers their first meeting. “She told me that other schools had rejected her admission because she was visually impaired,” she recalls. “When I heard that, it inspired me to find a way.”
At the time, the school's inclusion department was small and had limited experience supporting students with visual impairment. Dr. Bhaskar brought her team together to discuss what it would take to support Shifna. The response was unanimous: “We are ready to help. We are ready to support her.”
For Shifna and her family, a door that had been closed elsewhere was finally opened.
Her journey also helped strengthen the school's commitment to inclusion. Today, the school supports a growing number of Students of Determination, building on the lessons learned by creating pathways for students with different needs to participate fully in school life.
Shifna has always loved learning. Making that love of learning possible often required creativity. Because many classroom activities rely heavily on sight, teachers found ways to ensure Shifna could engage with the same lessons and opportunities as her classmates.
Shifna began learning Braille at the age of four and uses assistive technologies to support her studies. In physics, where many concepts are typically explained visually, teachers introduced hands-on approaches that allowed her to explore them through touch. “How the rays of light pass through and all, they explain through tactile diagrams so I can learn it,” she says.
Language presented another challenge. Having grown up speaking Malayalam at home, she entered an English-medium school while also catching up on learning disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Teachers translated lessons, recorded materials, and provided individualized support to help her catch up. Before long, Shifna grew confident communicating in English while keeping pace academically. “She was ready to face all the challenges. Even when the parents are not available at home, even then she managed to come to school,” recalls Dr. Bhaskar.
Ask Shifna's family what has helped her thrive, and their answer is immediate: confidence. “Disability is not a matter,” says her father, Sidhic. “She has learned everything herself,” adds her mother, Nusaiba.
Her teachers also describe her as remarkably independent. Ms. Akhila Santhesh, one of Shifna’s teachers, highlights her exceptional ability to learn through listening. “If you give her an audio, maybe in 10 or 20 minutes she will know it by heart,” she says. That independence extends beyond academics. Shifna actively asks questions, seeks clarification, and advocates for her own learning.
Friendship played an important role as well. “She’s been my best friend for four years,” says Hanna Shaji. “In studying, singing, and all activities, we are together.” Whether in school or beyond it, the two are rarely far apart.
Encouraged by those around her, Shifna’s confidence grew as she explored her interests. She took part in poetry recitations, storytelling competitions, music programs, robotics projects, and a wide range of school activities. “Participating in competitions is important because it helped me discover my interests and interact with other people,” she says. “I want to enjoy all the activities the school offers.”
Among her many interests, poetry holds a special place. She is drawn to its rhythm and the feelings it evokes, and over the years has received numerous recognitions in poetry recitation and music, including two poetry-recitation awards from the Kerala government.
One of the most meaningful examples of support came during Shifna's examinations. Her friend and schoolmate Aditi Sabin served as her scribe, writing down Shifna’s answers as she dictated them.
At first, Aditi often repeated questions several times while Shifna carefully gathered her thoughts before responding. “Later she progressed herself, became more confident, and gave the answers more quickly,” Aditi recalls.
Helping Shifna often meant long days for Aditi. After completing her own exams, she would return to spend several more hours helping Shifna complete hers. Teachers still remember that dedication. “Aditi would quickly have lunch, come back, sit all four hours for Shifna's exams very patiently, and then go prepare for her own exams the next day,” recalls Ms. Arthe Karthikeyan.
Supporting Shifna became a shared effort across the school community.
With the support of her school community, Shifna achieved milestones that once seemed out of reach.
One of her proudest accomplishments was passing Grade 10 with strong results. Her father proudly keeps photographs of the awards and recognitions she has received over the years.
For those who know her, however, Shifna’s character is even more remarkable than her achievements. “Everyone sees her as a winner,” says Ms. Akhila. “But behind that, she faced many struggles. From those struggles she found courage and built confidence.”
“In our family, she is one of the motivators,” adds her father. As the eldest of four siblings, Shifna is often the one encouraging her younger siblings to stay focused on their studies.
Her thoughtfulness extends beyond her family. After every exam, she arrived with chocolates for Aditi and the teachers who had supported her. “She always remembers when somebody has helped her,” says Ms. Arthe. “She always remembers to thank people.”
Today, Shifna is in Grade 11 and hopes to pursue a career in government service. Her family's response to that ambition is simple. “Whatever she wants to become, that is our dream,” her father says. “We will support her.”
Shifna’s journey has been shaped by a series of meaningful choices by those around her: a school that opened its doors when others would not; teachers who transformed visual lessons into tactile experiences; a schoolmate who spent hours as a scribe; a friend who was always by her side; and parents who never stopped believing in her. Together, they helped Shifna build the confidence, skills, and support network that enabled her to thrive and achieve what others once thought impossible.
Yet what stands out most is not the awards and trophies she has earned. It is the gratitude she expresses for her abilities and the opportunities she has been given to develop them.
And perhaps that is the greatest lesson in her story. When a child is given the opportunity to learn, the encouragement to believe, and a community willing to stand beside them, people begin to see possibilities where others once saw limitations, and schools become places where every student has room to succeed.