[Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Announces 2012 Scholarship Program Winners

[David Andrews]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:

Chris Danielsen

Director of Public Relations

National Federation of the Blind

(410) 659-9314, extension 2330

(410) 262-1281 (Cell)

cdanielsen at nfb.org

National Federation of the Blind Announces
2012 Scholarship Program Winners

Baltimore, Maryland (May 11, 2012): The
National Federation of the Blind
  (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest 
organization of blind people, today announced the winners of its
2012 Scholarship Program,
which awards thirty scholarships each year to 
recognize achievement by blind scholars. The 
winners are listed below in alphabetical order with their home
states and vocational goals:

list of 30 items
• Cody Bair, CO: certified public accountant (CPA)
• Kimie Beverly, NV: lawyer, specializing in disability and employment law
• Brandon Keith Biggs, CA: music teacher, opera singer, actor
• Matthew Bowers, TN: professor of atmospheric sciences, climatology
• Nallym Bravo, FL: university administrator or director of student affairs
• Chrys Buckley, OR: professional writer specializing in medicine and physics
• Robert Campbell, OH: attorney
• Jordyn Castor, MI: software developer
• Christopher De Jesus, NY: psychiatrist
• Michael Foster, NJ: CEO or CFO for a nonprofit
• Harriet Go, PA: special education 
administrator, specialist in reading curricula and literacy
• Sierra Gregg, MO: librarian
• Rachel Grider, CA: professional singer, composer
• Brandon “Trey” Lewis, OK: talent agent for musicians and actors
• ShaQuantaey Mack, LA: administrator of 
nonprofit agency for community empowerment (MSW)
• Alyssa Munsell, NH: clinical social worker (MSW)
• Stephanie O’Donnell, NH: special 
education/elementary teacher in a public school
• Valeria Paradiso, NY: psychiatrist
• Emily Pennington, OH: lawyer, specialist in accounting
• Briley Pollard, VA: federal special education policy analyst
• Rylie Robinson, IN: teacher of blind high school students
• April Scurlock, AR: special education teacher, grades 4-12
• Jennifer Shields, VA: editor, writer, or publishing company executive
• Michael Sipes, MO: attorney, specialist in public interest law
• Rose Sloan, IL: director of an agency for 
education policy (government or nonprofit)
• Kyra Sweeney, CA: psychologist or lawyer
• Brandon Terry, UT: facilities manager or construction manager
• Elizabeth Troutman, NC: lawyer, specialist in 
education policy and disability laws
• Maria “Monica” Villarreal, TX: lawyer
• Brandy Wood, AL: rehabilitation counselor or teacher
list end


“These students represent academic excellence, 
and many of them are doubtless future leaders of 
this nation’s blind,” said Dr. Marc Maurer, President of
the National Federation of the Blind. “They are 
forging a path in disciplines as varied as 
climatology, software development, special education, law, and
psychiatry. They are proof of our conviction that 
we, the blind of this nation, can compete on 
terms of equality with our sighted peers, and we are very
proud of their accomplishments.”

In July each winner will attend the NFB’s 
seventy-second annual national convention in 
Dallas, Texas, 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 Thursday, July 5.

For more information on the National Federation 
of the Blind Scholarship Program, visit
www.nfb.org/scholarships.

###

About the National Federation of the Blind

With more than 50,000 members, the National 
Federation of the Blind is the largest and most 
influential membership organization of blind people in the United
States.  The NFB improves blind people’s lives 
through advocacy, education, research, 
technology, and programs encouraging independence and self-confidence.
It is the leading force in the blindness field 
today and the voice of the nation's blind.  In 
January 2004 the NFB opened the National Federation of the
Blind Jernigan Institute, the first research and 
training center in the United States for the blind led by the blind.