Kochi: Born at just six months into pregnancy, weighing only 680 grams, Maria Kripa Michael began life on the edge of survival. Years later, she has turned that fragile beginning into a remarkable academic milestone, scoring a perfect 1200 out of 1200 in her Plus Two examinations.

Suffering from over 40 per cent visual impairment, she wrote her examinations with the help of a scribe and secured full marks. The achievement of Maria Kripa Michael, a humanities student at Sacred Heart HSS, Thevara, indeed carries the golden glow of resilience and determination. She is the younger daughter of Michael Antony, who works in the publishing sector in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, and Sheela Michael.

Maria was born during a routine hospital visit of her mother in the sixth month of pregnancy. As the Malayalam word Kripa in her name suggests, wrapped in ‘divine grace’, Maria has slowly fought her way into life. The extremely premature baby spent over a year under care at Lakshmi Hospital, Ernakulam.  However, her visual impairment remains a challenge she has not fully overcome.

Maria now plans to pursue higher studies in psychology.