For Centennial High School senior Nikki Singh, 17, high school has had an added challenge.

Singh, who is blind, found her way through the halls using a cane, read books in Braille and used a special computer to help her with assignments.

Despite these challenges, Singh excelled in her classes.

As one of the top students in Centennial's class of 2008, Singh was scheduled to be one of two student speakers at the school's May 22 graduation ceremony at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

In the fall, she will be off to Yale University and is considering attending law school after she earns her undergraduate degree there.

"I'm excited," Singh said. "I'm very happy to get in" to Yale.

Judy Ryan, an English teacher at Centennial, described Singh as "incredibly sweet and very bright," and a passionate and prolific poet.

"I have always been in awe of what she's able to do," Ryan added. "She's just amazing."

Blindness an 'adjustment'

Singh is among the approximately 3,700 students who are expected to graduate from Howard County's 12 public high schools over the next two weeks.

She was born in India and came to the United States when she was 3. She moved to Howard County from Pennsylvania six years later.

Her parents were attracted to America because of its economic opportunities and the available medical treatment for her glaucoma, a condition she has had since birth, Singh said. Singh lost her vision to glaucoma when she was 11.

"It's never convenient to go blind, but it was an adjustment," she said.

Singh uses a laptop computer loaded with specialized software that reads text out loud. She also learned to read Braille and to use a cane to navigate on her own.

During those times when visual activity occurs in her classes, such as in a science lab, Singh asks one of her classmates to describe the scene to her.

During her years at Centennial, Singh has taken many of the school's most demanding courses, including several advanced placement classes, Latin and physics.

While she excelled in quantitative classes such as calculus, she favors English, Latin and European history.

"I like words," Singh said. "I like the way words sound and I like to know from where words came."

An avid poet, she has recently turned her attention to writing short fiction. Some of her work has been published in local literary magazines and newsletters, she said, adding that she plans to continue to write.

Michael Siegert, a math teacher at Centennial, taught Singh for two years. Singh is one of the most exceptional students he has encountered in 34 years of teaching, Siegert said.

"The fact that she's blind, it's nearly incomprehensible to me that she's able to achieve what she does." he said. "... She's quite a unique person."

Singh chalks her achievements up to curiosity, saying she likes to think and explore new ideas.

"I like to learn stuff but I don't like to study really," she said with a laugh.

E-mail Sarah Daniels at sdaniels@patuxent.com.

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