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<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica" size=4><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br>
</b></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><b> <br>
</b></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><b>CONTACT:<br>
</b></font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Chris Danielsen<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Director of Public Relations<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">National Federation of the Blind<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">(410) 659-9314, extension 2330<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">(410) 262-1281 (Cell)<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><a href="mailto:cdanielsen@nfb.org">
cdanielsen@nfb.org</a><br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <br>
</font><br>
<div align="center"><font size=4><b>National Federation of the Blind
Announces <br>
2010 Scholarship Program Winners<br>
</b></font></div>
<br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><b>Baltimore, Maryland (May 12,
2010):</b> The</font> National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the
nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, today announced
the winners of its 2010 Scholarship Program, which awards thirty
scholarships each year to recognize achievement by blind scholars.
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">The winners are listed below in
alphabetical order with their home states and vocational goals:<br>
</font><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">
<ul>
<li>Beth Allred, CO: professional vocalist and music teacher</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"><?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns
= "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />Sheri
Anderson, TN: emergency management professional</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Sina Bahram, NC: computer-science
technologist and entrepreneur
<li>Alicia Betancourt, FL: social worker for disabled persons</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Zachary Brubaker, PA: high school
teacher of math and physics</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Chelsea Cook, VA: astronaut or
astrophysicist or physicist</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Mary Fernandez, NJ: clinical
psychologist</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">C. J. Fish, VA: mental health
counselor</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Rashi Goel, GA: environmental
engineer</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Deepa Goraya, CA:
attorneydisability rights and civil rights legislation specialist</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Antonio Guimaraes, RI: social
studies teacher, grades 5–12</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Mary Hernandez, NE: classroom or
itinerant teacher of blind students</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Chris Jeckel, IL: attorney
<li>Andrea Jenkins, GA: Spanish translator and interpreter</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Kayleigh Joiner, TX: elementary
school teacher</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Melissa Lomax, NJ: high school
English teacher</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Kirt Manwaring, UT: attorney
<li>Kristin Mathe, PA: professor of rhetoric (communication)</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Esha Mehta, CO: elementary school
teacher</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Tabea Meyer, IN: social worker for
children in school or foster care</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Josie Nielson, ID: violin
soloistperformer and recording artist</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Shaun Reimers, UT: attorney and
community activist</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Ashley Ritter, IN: teacher of blind
children</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Cali Sandel, SC: federal program
administrator, Washington, D.C.</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Jessica Scannell, NJ: teacher of
blind children, birth through junior high</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Quintina Singleton, NJ: teacher,
special education classroom</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Yadiel Sotomayor, PR:
English/Spanish translator or English teacher</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Tara Prakash Tripathi, FL: teacher
of access technology and active advocate</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Kayla Weathers, GA: special
education teacher for blind and visually impaired students</font>
<li><font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">Michelle Wesley, IL: veterinarian
</font>
</ul><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <br>
</font><br>
“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 astrophysics, computer
science, social work, law, and psychology. 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.” <br><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica"> <br>
</font><br>
In July each winner will attend the NFB’s seventieth annual national
convention in Dallas, Texas, where the 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 8. <br><br>
<br><br>
<font face="Helvetica, Helvetica">For more information on the National
Federation of the Blind Scholarship Program, visit
<a href="http://www.nfb.org/scholarships">www.nfb.org/scholarships</a>
. <br>
</font><br>
<br><br>
<div align="center"><b>###<br>
</b></div>
<br>
<div align="center"><font size=5> <br>
</font></div>
<br>
<b>About the National Federation of the Blind<br>
</b><br>
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. <br><br>
</blockquote>
<x-sigsep><p></x-sigsep>
<x-tab> </x-tab>David
Andrews and long white cane Harry, dandrews@visi.com<br>
Follow me on Twitter at
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