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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link=blue vlink=purple><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Greetings Cincinnati Federationists,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Most of you know by now that our own Elif Emir Oksuz was a scholarship winning star at the NFB national convention. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>I thought you might enjoy seeing her name again and all of the other winners in the 2016 class. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>It strikes me as a particularly remarkable mix of career goals and I thought you might enjoy reading it as well.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Congratulations again, Elif. We love you!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Peace,<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'>Deborah<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #B5C4DF 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0in 0in 0in'><p class=MsoNormal><b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Tahoma","sans-serif"'> NFBNet-Members-List [mailto:nfbnet-members-list-bounces@nfbnet.org] <b>On Behalf Of </b>Morey, Kristian via NFBNet-Members-List<br><b>Sent:</b> Wednesday, July 20, 2016 10:43 PM<br><b>To:</b> nfbnet-members-list@nfbnet.org<br><b>Subject:</b> [Nfbnet-members-list] National Federation of the Blind Recognizes Thirty Outstanding Blind Students<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <br><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br> <br>CONTACT:<br></b>Chris Danielsen<br>Director of Public Relations<br>National Federation of the Blind<br>(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br>(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b> <br>National Federation of the Blind Recognizes Thirty Outstanding Blind Students<br><i> <br>Maria “Conchita” Hernandez of Washington, DC, Awarded $12,000 Scholarship</i></b><o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal> <br><b>Baltimore, Maryland (July 20, 2016):</b> The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, today announced the winners of its 2016 scholarships, which were awarded at the organization’s recent national convention in Orlando. The winner of the organization’s top prize of $12,000, donated by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults, was Maria “Conchita” Hernandez of Washington, DC, a doctoral candidate who is pursuing research on reading media assessments. The other winners are listed below in alphabetical order with their home states, vocational goals, and scholarship awards where applicable. Unless otherwise indicated, each received a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship in the amount of $3,000. <br> <br>Tara Abella, IN: Elementary/Special Education Teacher<br>Justine “JJ” Aragon, CO: Rehabilitation Counseling<br>Deniz Aydemir-Doke, PA: Higher Education<br>Samrawit Biyazin, OR: Certified Public Accountant ($3,000 Charles & Betty Allen Scholarship)<br>Megan Borella, CA: Business or Information Systems ($3,000 Expedia Scholarship)<br>Riki Danielle Burton, KY: Teaching Blind Students <br>Brennan Carman, NY: Medical Research ($5,000 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship)<br>Merry-Noel Chamberlain, NE: Higher Education ($3,000 Charles & Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship)<br>Nathan Clark, MD: Juvenile Probation Officer<br>Elif Emir Oksuz, OH: Mental Health Counselor ($5,000 Pearson Scholarship)<br>Laura Etori, NJ: Actuary ($8,000 Oracle Scholarship for Excellence in a STEM Field)<br>Jameyanne Fuller, NH: Law ($5,000 Mimi & Marvin Sandler Scholarship)<br>Deanna Greco, NJ: Brain Research<br>Nazanin Heydarian, TX: Medical Research<br>Sharon Jose, VA: Computer Science Engineer ($3,000 Adrienne Asch Memorial Scholarship)<br>Matthew Miller, IL: Actuary <br>James Garret Mooney, AZ: Law ($3,000 E. U. & Gene Parker Scholarship)<br>Kathryn Olsen, IA: Physical Therapist <br>Chelsea Page, LA: Blind Instruction and Early Intervention<br>Precious Perez, MA: Professional Performer/Music Educator ($5,000 Larry Streeter Memorial Scholarship)<br>Donna Posont, MI: Naturalist <br>Syed Rizvi, MA: Health Informatics and Data Analytics ($8,000 Oracle Scholarship for Excellence in Computer Science)<br>Joe Rowell, MA: Public Interest Law<br>Kartik Sawhney, CA: Software Development ($3,000 Expedia Scholarship)<br>Kennedy Stomberg, MN: Research <br>Corgan Waters, TN: Pathology<br>Kathryn Webster, CT: Actuarial Science Consulting ($10,000 Charles & Melva T. Owen Memorial Scholarship)<br>Kassidy Wilde, UT: Psychology ($3,000 NFB Science and Engineering Division Scholarship)<br>Johna Wright, GA: Blind Education<br> <br>“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 elementary education to software development, 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.”<br> <br>Several hundred students competed for the NFB scholarships. A committee of blind persons representing a cross section of the NFB membership, including several former scholarship winners, narrowed the field to thirty finalists. Each finalist was then given roundtrip transportation, hotel accommodations, and assistance to attend the NFB convention in Orlando, where the committee spent several days getting to know each student. Only after that process was complete did the committee decide which scholarship to award each finalist. Nearly three thousand blind people attended the convention, the largest gathering of its kind in the United States this year.<br> <br>In addition to the NFB scholarship, each of the thirty winners received a $1,000 check and plaque from Ray Kurzweil, a Google Chromebook laptop, a $1,000 cash award from Google, and a certificate towards the purchase of a Talking LabQuest from Independence Science.<br> <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b>###<o:p></o:p></b></p><p class=MsoNormal><b> <br>About the National Federation of the Blind <br></b> <br>The National Federation of the Blind knows that blindness is not the characteristic that defines you or your future. Every day we raise the expectations of blind people, because low expectations create obstacles between blind people and our dreams. You can live the life you want; blindness is not what holds you back.<br> <br> <br> <o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>