Atlanta teen paraclimber heading to world championships in Switzerland

ATLANTA — Seventeen-year-old Raveena Alli is going places.

Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen spoke to the rising senior at the Atlanta Girls’ School, who has been climbing her way to the top since the 2nd grade.

Alli was born in India, and has been blind since birth. That hasn’t stopped her from becoming an elite para climber who is a member of Team USA.

Alli has won a lot of medals in her time, including third place in the Paraclimbing World Cup in 2022.

Now, she’s about to compete in the Paraclimbing World Championships in Bern, Switzerland, which takes place from August 1 - 12.

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“My first thought was, okay. I have a harness on. But what’s down there?” Alli said of her first time climbing. “I honestly feel like if I even had a little bit of vision and could look down, I would be afraid.”

Raveena told Channel 2′s Berndt Petersen that getting 60 feet off the ground is one of her goals, but she’s aiming a lot higher.

“My biggest hope is that I can inspire others, my fellow blind peers, and others in different communities of all abilities. Because it really is an amazing thing. We really all do have unique abilities. It’s up to you how to choose to use that,” Raveena said.

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Her mom, Hayley Alli, couldn’t be prouder.

“We’re just her biggest cheerleaders. So, we have her back,” she said.

Raveena also plans to get to the top of the legal world. She’s working on a career in human rights law and has a short list of colleges she’d like to attend including Emory, UGA, and Georgetown.

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