NL Beno Zephine

#33/100 in #100extraordinarywomen

NL Beno Zephine is an Indian Diplomat, who is the first 100% visually challenged Indian Foreign Service Officer. Born on 17 April 1990 in Chennai, India to Luke Anthony Charles, an employee of Indian Railways and Mary Padmaja, a home maker, she did her schooling in Little Flower Convent Higher Secondary school for the blind in Chennai, obtained under graduation in English literature from Stella Maris College, Chennai, and further did her post graduation in Loyola College, Chennai.

At the age of 25 years, she created history by becoming the country’s first 100 percent visually challenged Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer. She had cleared her exam in 2014 but she got her posting only on 12 June 2015. Ever since Zephine received the news from the government of securing the 343rd rank in the Civil Services Examination, she has been busy giving motivational speeches and addressing students across the state. Having gone through all the difficulties and finally emerging as a winner, Zephine advises other people with disabilities to never give up on their dreams and utilise the resources available to them. A post-graduate in English from Madras University, Beno worked as a probationary worker at State Bank of India. But one phone call from the Ministry of External Affairs, who called to confirm her selection in IFS, changed her life forever. A socially active person from childhood, Beno always gave a piece of her mind to those who would leave the taps on and waste water. Her friends and family would call her a “collector” because of her quality to stand for what she believed in.

Visually impaired since birth, Zephine never let her disability come in her way of achieving her dreams. Moreover, an extremely supportive family, friends and teachers made her reach the place where she is today. As there is not enough study material available in Braille, her family and friends read for long hours to help her prepare for her exams. While her father fulfilled her desire of getting any book she required, her mother helped her extensively in the reading process. She also used Job Access With Speech (JAWS), a software that allows the visually challenged to read from a computer screen. The software can be used on a smartphone too. An active student throughout, Zephine participated in various debate and extempore competitions in school and is looking forward to now speaking as a diplomat.

"It is vitally important to discard disability from the mind," she said. Kudos to the girl who has proved that nothing can beat strong determination and hard work. 

Source: Google search