National Federation of the Blind Announces 2015 Scholarship Program Finalists
Baltimore, Maryland (PRWEB) May 11, 2015 -- The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, today announced the finalists for its 2015 Scholarship Program, which awards thirty scholarships each year to recognize achievement by blind scholars. The students are listed below in alphabetical order with their home states and vocational goals.
Katie Adkins, KY: Teacher
Douglas Alt, MI: College professor
Karen Arcos, CA: Policy advocacy
Annika Ariel, CA: Disability law
Liliya Asadullina, PA: Naturopathic doctor
Michael Ausbun, NV: Foundational professor
Brianna Brown, TX: Education
Mary Church, CA: Psychology
Chase Crispin, NE: Public school band director
MarChé Daughtry, VA: Law
Bryan Duarte, AZ: Software engineer
Alexandra Engraf, ND: Human services, counseling
Lashawna Fant, MS: Counselor
Robert Gulledge, AL: Secondary education
Dezman Jackson, MD: Health education
Mary Abby Jusayan, RI: Teacher for visually impaired
Kaitlyn Kellermeyer, TX: Government service or investing
Miriam Lozneanu, SC: Programmer
Nefertiti Matos, NY: Helping/teaching profession
Sarah Myer, FL: Mental health counseling
Mark Myers II, MO: Computer and software design/development
Crystal Plemmons, NC: Community college instructor
Jason Polansky, MD: Youth ministry, counseling, or civil engineering
Karolline Sales, LA: Braille teacher
Kaitlin Shelton, OH: Music therapy
Christopher Stewart, KY: Legal field
Teri Stroschein, OR: School counselor
Kelsi Watters, WI: Spiritual counseling
Hannah Werbel, WA: Biomedical engineering
Tamika Williams, AL: Blind services/entrepreneurship/social services
“The scholarship program is one of our most important initiatives,” said Mark A. Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “We are proud to honor these blind scholars, who are studying everything from electrical engineering to horticulture, and in so doing raising the expectations of what blind people can achieve. Their accomplishments are proof of our conviction that we, the blind of this nation, can live the lives we want; blindness does not hold us back.”
In July each finalist will attend the NFB’s seventy-fifth annual national convention in Orlando, Florida, where the Scholarship Committee will spend several days getting to know each student and then decide which scholarship (ranging in value from $3,000 to $12,000) to award each of them. The scholarship winners will then be announced at the banquet of the NFB convention on Friday, July 10.
For more information on the National Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program, visit http://www.nfb.org/scholarships.
Chris Danielsen, National Federation of the Blind, +1 (410) 659-9314 Ext: 2330, [email protected]
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