GEORGE TOWN: Despite being born visually-impaired, SMK Georgetown student Kenzon Yeoh beat the odds and scored 7As in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia examination.
The 18-year-old was accompanied by his father Yeoh Chin Yeay, 56, and mother, Thee Suh Pyng, 53, when he showed up at the school for his results. He said he was hoping to score at least 4As.
When school principal Khairana Zain announced the results, and Kenzon was speechless as he was the top scorer with 5A+ and 2A-, beating his 113 batchmates.
He scored A+ in Bahasa Melayu, English, History, Science and Perdagangan and scored A- in Pendidikan Moral and Mathematics.
"The subjects that surprised me the most were History and Science. I was confident of passing but did not expect to get A+" he said.
While many students prefer a quiet environment, Kenzon said he studied better with music in the background. He said it helped him to focus and also made him feel less alone as he went through his braille reading materials.
"After coming home from school, I take a one- to two-hour nap before I do my homework."
He said his ambition was to become a computer programmer.
Since they live in Bukit Mertajam, his father, a part-time factory worker, spends almost an hour taking him to school in the morning if there is no traffic congestion. His mother picks him up after school.
"Our efforts have now borne fruit. My son has got his wish to pass SPM with flying colours. We will continue to support him in his future endeavours," said his proud father.