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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Growing My Federation Heart Started with a Scholarship<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>by Kinshuk Tella<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Kinshuk Tella<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>From the Editor: This article is gratefully reprinted from The Voice of the Nation's Blind, Monday, March 7, 2022. As you can tell from the title, the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>author is a winner of a national scholarship, but there is so much more that he reveals. If I had to describe this contribution in one word, that word<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>would be wisdom. Enjoy:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For me, every day is Earth Day. Nature always fascinated me. It began with catching insects in my backyard as a child and constructing miniature rainforests<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in glass terrariums. It has now led me to conducting research in the field of environmental geology at Miami University.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>When I was growing up, I learned about the environmental issues we face today: deforestation leading to the extinction of species, melting glaciers leading<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to the decimation of our freshwater supplies, just to name a few. I am driven to develop and apply science-based solutions for these environmental problems<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>and more. This drive is why I am on track to graduate with my Bachelor of Science degree in geology and environmental science in the spring of 2023, with<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>an additional master's degree in environmental science, focused on policy analysis. It is what takes me this summer to an internship in the Silicon Valley<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>of northern California, to ensure environmental compliance for Tesla, the world's largest electric vehicle company. Above all, it is why I'm dedicating<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my life to fighting climate change, personally and professionally, for decades to come.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>I didn't always have the confidence to pursue these dreams. Growing up in an average suburban town in southwest Ohio, I lacked the positive blind role<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>models that I did not know I needed. Being raised in a traditional South Asian household, my blindness was seen as a shameful disease to be cured. My own<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>parents unintentionally gave me vitamin A toxicity from the gallons of carrot juice I was force-fed as a child. I internalized this mindset of shame, sitting<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>in the back of the classroom to look like I was sighted, handwriting notes I could never actually read.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This mindset only changed when I found passions worth self-advocating for. I joined the marching band in seventh grade and built confidence by finding<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>pride in the hours of hard work that I put into shows and concert performances. This coincided with my entry into the natural sciences. I took advanced<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>placement classes in related fields, and finally I was able to put a career choice to what I have always enjoyed. But despite these passions, I still was<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>missing a community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Upon getting involved with the National Federation of the Blind, I went from lacking role models to having a community full of successful people who were<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>breaking down the barriers they faced. My love for advocacy has led me to get involved in leadership in disability spaces at every level. I serve on the<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>board for the National Association of Blind Students (NABS), the National Federation of the Blind of Ohio, and the Miami Valley Chapter. I co-founded Prism<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Marching Arts, the first all-inclusive special needs marching arts program in the Midwest. We put instruments in the hands of people who otherwise never<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>would have been given such opportunities in their communities. In these ways I pay forward the opportunities that I have received, to everyone, no matter<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>who they are and where they come from.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>The National Federation of the Blind's Scholarship Programs, at both the state and national level, were the vessels that brought me into this community.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>This program showed me that I was not alone, that there were thousands of other blind people pursuing their dreams and redefining what it means to be blind.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>At first I simply viewed this program as a monetary award for my educational pursuits. But oftentimes the best experiences come as surprises. I quickly<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>realized that the scholarship program offered much more than that scholarship; it offered invaluable mentorship, engaging community, and surplus fuel for<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>my growing Federation heart. Blindness is the characteristic that brings us together, brings us to fight for our rights, and brings us to make the world<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>an equitable place. I truly believe that programs like the National Federation of the Blind's Scholarship Program help mold these characteristics and experiences<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>into a vessel for collective action and self-growth.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>For me personally, I can say with certainty that the NFB Scholarship Program has been a catalyst for allowing me to gain the confidence to pursue my dreams,<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>to take my career in the direction that I desire, and more.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>If there is one lesson that I have learned, it is that we all live internally in different worlds, but at the same time we live physically in the same<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>world. Our perspectives differ, but our resources and actions affect us the same. We live in an era in which the Earth and its systems are at a critical<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>point, a point where climate change is arguably the greatest issue we face. This is why I dedicate my studies and future work to the environmental issues<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>humanity faces today. I hope to work for the betterment of tomorrow and to make a world we can call our own.<o:p></o:p></p></div></body></html>