Determined to ‘see’ her way through college

It was the same as any other day as she packed her things to get ready for Christmas break.

She was excited because she finally finished her first semester at Claflin University.

She and her friends spent the night before having an early Christmas celebration. They ate chicken wings and pizzas as they opened their Secret Santa gifts.

Laughter surrounded them as they attempted to glue together the walls to their first gingerbread house. They ended the night in tears as they shared heartfelt letters they wrote about one another.

That was the last night she saw all of her college friends in one room.

Andre’al Frazier was a normal college freshman until her life took an unexpected turn that left her extremely ill and ultimately losing her sight.

Frazier 20, was born on Jan. 22, 1997. She is from Ridgeland, where she graduated from Ridgeland High School in 2016. She decided to pursue higher education at Claflin University, majoring in biology.

After that Christmas break in December 2016, she was unable to return because of the illness.

Frazier has visited doctors throughout South Carolina but they are unable to identify the cause of her illness.

Throughout it all, Frazier has kept a positive mind and is determined to not let this stop her from graduating college. She is currently taking classes for the visually impaired. She is learning how to navigate so she can return to Claflin to earn her bachelor’s in biology. Her illness has inspired her even more to become a doctor so she can help those in need.