A 22-year-old Olympic College student and bicyclist, Robert Wright, describes himself as possessing "a lot of determination."

That's a pretty valid description for someone who's not letting partial blindness keep him from pursuing a degree.

Wright is in his fourth year of Olympic College's associate degree program, and plans to continue at the University of Washington until he gets a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Having one-tenth eyesight in one eye and one-fifth in the other makes reading a slow, difficult procedure, Wright explained. He's gotten headaches lately, too so the state has promised him an eight-by-eight inch magnifier to enlarge print and cut down on the eyestrain.

His long term goal is to go into sales", with a laugh.

A more immediate goal, however, is to "go at least 50 miles" in this weekend's cycle-a-thon benefiting the American Heart Association.

Driving cars is out for Robert, "but I can ride a ten-speed" he said. "Since I go one-tenth the speed of a car, I have more time to focus."

His bike is a 4-year-old ten speed that he rides daily "except on rainy days, when I walk... I don't want it to get rusty."

He's inventing a power generator for a citizen's band radio he wants to use while biking. The radio would be for "security's sake," he elaborated, but the generator will power front and rear lights as well.

Since the effort of reading and studying prohibits work, Robert's tuition, books and supplies are paid for by Washington State Services for the Blind. He has various other aid sources, including Social Security, prompting an OC clerk to call him the "richest poor student at OC."

An auto accident in Monroe, Snohomish County, at the age of three weeks left Wright with brain damage, partial coordination problems, and a high pain threshold -- in addition to his sight problem, he said.

"I don't plan to be on the aid all my life, but it makes school bearable," said Robert.

"Because I've gotten so much help from the state, it's (the cycle-a-thon) a good way to benefit another charitable organization," he added. He plans to cover the longer Lake Washington cycle-a-thon route.

Robert wants one of the cycle-a-thon prizes, too, and figures he's already secured one with the 200 sponsors he'd garnered by late last week. If he won the first prize (a car) he's sure an alternative could be worked out somehow that would enable him to go to Hawaii instead.