The Director's Cut: Rendering Reality

To most people at Saint Louis University, Kasheem Adrei Siborboro is just another student going through the semester. He’s a freelance video editor, an enthusiastic gamer, and a guy who relies on a pair of exceptionally thick glasses. But behind those lenses is a reality of constant negotiation with a world that isn't always in focus. For Kash, having a severe visual impairment isn't a tragic backstory; it’s just the lens through which he has learned to navigate life.

The Blur of the Beginning

Kash didn't even realize his vision was different until the first grade. Seated at the back of the classroom because his last name starts with 'S', he found himself completely lost. "Every time my teacher writes something on the blackboard, I can't read it," he recalls. "It's not because I can't read, it's because I can't see it". He was forced to sit on the floor at the very front of the class just to copy the notes.

When he finally received his prescription glasses, he refused to wear them for an entire year out of fear of being bullied for looking "different". It wasn't until he transferred to a private school in the second grade that he finally put them on, eventually rising to the top of his class

More Than Meets the Eye

Today, one of his biggest frustrations is how quickly people misunderstand his condition. "Having near-sightedness doesn't mean I'm blind," he says, noting how annoyed he gets when people immediately hold up fingers and ask him to count them. "I'm not blind... I can see you".

Kash holds a PWD (Person With Disability) card, something his mother—who shares his condition—encouraged him to get. His relationship with the card is complicated. "I'm living normally like normal people, but there are others who are really blind and have the same card as me," he admits. While he jokes about enjoying "the best of both worlds" with the discounts, he strictly refuses to use his disability as an excuse to slack off in his academics or his job.

The Screen Grind

As a freelance video editor, Kash's eyes are his most important tool, and his biggest liability. Balancing the heavy screen time of editing with his university workload means making sacrifices. "There are sacrifices that have to be made... you're dealing with real people, real people's money, real businesses," he explains. He often pulls all-nighters to meet client deadlines, paying the price physically. "By the time the morning comes, my head starts to hurt... there are parts that are going to be blurry".

His hidden struggle is his gear. His eye grade is so remarkably high that if his glasses break, optical shops in Baguio cannot simply replace them. He has to wait a full month for custom lenses to be shipped from Manila.

Even regular campus life throws unexpected curveballs. Unlike other students who might complain about the steep steps of SLU, Kash's biggest hurdle was his Aquatics class. "We had an aquatics subject, so I can't wear my glasses because we're gonna be underwater," he shares. "I have to take it off, and literally the whole course of our aquatics class is blurry for me".

Downtime and Dreams

Despite the severe eye strain, Kash's favorite escape is gaming, specifically playing Valorant with his friends. Surprisingly, his vision doesn't hinder his gameplay as long as he wears his glasses. "There's not much of an adjustment... I just click heads," he jokes. For Kash, queuing up with his squad isn't just about the game; it is essential for unwinding and recharging his social battery.

Looking forward, his ultimate dream is to create films that inspire people, using his own unseen struggles to give hope to others. He doesn't want pity, nor does he want his vision to define his limits.

"Life is like a movie," Kash reflects. "It has plots, it has its climax. Life is like a sea of clouds. Sometimes it's there, sometimes it's not. You just gotta play it out and see where it takes you".