Marisa Saldana is out to prove that having a disability doesn’t mean she has to limit herself.

The 26-year old NIU graduate student currently is in Oakland, Calif., interning at the Lions Center for the Blind where she helps blind adults.

Saldana was born with glaucoma, which creates pressure on the eye and optic nerve. If left untreated, a person’s eyesight will fade away.

When Saldana was 7 years old, her eyesight began fading, and she became completely blind at 13.

At the center, Saldana shares her experiences with others who are going through what she went through, she said.

While her eyesight was fading, Saldana said she didn’t realize what was happening.

“I had no idea what it was like to see,” she said. “I thought it was normal.”

At that time, Saldana began attending a special school where she learned braille and how to live being blind. She said it helped her accept what was happening to her.

“It wasn’t as big as a shock as it could have been,” she said.

Even though Saldana said getting a good grade point average in high school wasn’t as easy for her as it is for most students, she was valedictorian and left high school with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Saldana said she received about 10 scholarships when applying for college, including ones from MCI, Anheuser-Busch and Ronald McDonald House.

That same year, Saldana got her guide dog, Acer. Before that, she used a cane to travel. It was not a move her parents were happy about.

“They said I could either get the dog or live at home,” she said. “I chose the dog.”

Saldana said she wanted the dog because she wanted more independence and the ability to travel alone.

“In high school, I didn’t want the responsibility,” she said. “I saw that it worked, and if I got lost, I didn’t want to be by myself.”

Saldana received her undergraduate degree in journalism and plans to get her Ph.D. in journalism as well.

“I’ve always liked writing short stories,” she said. “I am more into feature stories than hard news.”

Saldana also said she hopes to travel a lot and write about her experiences.

While getting her bachelor’s degree, she traveled to Australia for the study abroad program and plans to travel overseas for her Ph.D.

“I like the challenge,” she said. “I had to find a facility where Acer could stay with me and it was the only one.”

Currently, she is getting her master’s degree in special education with an emphasis on visual impairments.

NIU professor Gaylen Kapperman said he helped convince Saldana to change her focus for her master’s degree.

“She talked to me about it,” he said. “She’s extra bright and an excellent example of not allowing the bad things that happen to plague you in life.”