Remarks of the Scholarship Class of 2024

From the Editor: One of the highlights of each convention is listening to the remarks of our scholarship finalists as they share our convention and add their enthusiasm and ambitious plans to our gathering. Here is what they said to the Board of Directors and the thousands attending the meeting. President Riccobono introduced this presentation as follows:

Now, I want to move to a very special part of the agenda. We’ve had a packed agenda, but I know most of you have been waiting for—especially now that we told you where the convention is—our scholarship program!

Without further ado, I would like to introduce from the great state of New York, our chair, Cayte Mendez.

CAYTE: Good morning, Mr. President and members of the Board. This is the seventh year that it has been my privilege to introduce the National Federation of the Blind scholarship class to all of you. Every year it is as much of a privilege as it was the first time.

This year we have thirty wonderful students. They were selected because of their academic excellence, their leadership potential, their community involvement, the quality of their applications, and I am delighted to be able to present all of them to you and to the folks watching.

We’ll be passing the mic down. They will have about thirty seconds to introduce themselves to you. They are going to tell you a little bit about who they are, where they’re from, what made them excellent candidates for the scholarship program, and a little about their vocational goals. This year we have two tenBroek Fellows with us. Jacobus tenBroek was the first president of our organization, and we reserve the title of tenBroek Fellow for those receiving their second National Federation of the Blind Scholarship. Scholarship finalists, are we ready?

Wonderful! They have been ready for the last two hours. They’re ready to go and get this done. I will be introducing them—first name, last name, home state, school state, and vocational goal. For the purposes of making sure the agenda moves along as it should, I’m going to ask that you hold your applause until the end. I know that can be extremely challenging, but please help us all out with that.

Without further ado...

Lindsay Adair, Louisiana, Louisiana, psychology, social work:

LINDSAY: Hello, my name is Lindsay. My career goals are to be either working in psychology or social work, and I am a person who loves to help other people. I want to give back, and something I would like to do is to reach out to other blind people who may not have heard of us. I encourage you all to remember those who have no hope and who have not heard of NFB. Please reach out to those people. I do not know where I would be without this organization today. Thank you. [There was some applause despite the request of the Chair.]

CAYTE: Thank you for the 95 percent of people in the audience who remembered to hold their applause. For those 5 percent, there you go.

Krystle Allen, New Jersey, New Jersey, social work:

KRYSTLE: Good morning everyone, and thank you to the Scholarship Committee for selecting me as one of the finalists. I am excited because I am a nontraditional student, and I am pursuing the goal to become a full-time employee. I currently work at the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired as their state community outreach specialist part-time. So with my education credentials that I’m acquiring for social work, I’m in the helping field, and I want to go full time so I can help more visually impaired and blind consumers to pursue their dreams. I’m excited that during my education experience I’m celebrating a milestone year with a nonprofit I founded ten years ago called “Eyes Like Mine, Inc..” I’m wearing a crown for you guys today, because I am Miss New Jersey 2024! [Applause]

CAYTE: Cole Carper, Arkansas, Alabama, aerospace engineering:

COLE: Good morning, everyone. I just graduated high school in May. I’m super excited to be here. It’s a great honor; thank you to the National Federation for doing the convention. My career goal is eventually to work at NASA, Boeing, SpaceX. I don’t have a specific company I want to work for yet; I just know I want to work in that industry.

CAYTE: David Carrillo, Utah, Utah, counselor:

DAVID: Thank you to NFB for the honor of being chosen as one of the finalists this year. Right now I’m currently working on my Master of Social Work with the goal of becoming a licensed social worker so that I can be able to counsel in specializing in grief, trauma, and bereavement. Having lost my three-year-old son in 2020 and my sister in 2022 to suicide, I feel particularly versed in order to understand that grief and what comes with it. I want to be able to be there for those newly experiencing that and help them through that journey knowing that there is a light at the end of the darkness.

CAYTE: Hannah Clemenson, Montana, California, journalism and broadcasting:

HANNAH: Good morning, Board members, Scholarship Committee, and Federation family. I grew up in a really small town in Montana, and at the time National Public Radio was about the only sound on my dial. Despite my isolation in rural Montana, I was able to build a vivid and nuanced image of the world around me through listening to public radio. I want to use my scholarship to jump into that world and continue to be a storyteller for the people.

CAYTE: Before I introduce the next finalist, I just have to tell you this: If you haven’t applied—first of all, how many people in the room have received a National Federation of the Blind Scholarship? [Cheering]

Okay. So from where I am sitting, the whole left side—right side, you have to get on that, okay?

If you want to know what month you should have a birthday in to win a scholarship... those that sit through this presentation each year, you know that I love birthday trivia. August, you guys are my people, Leos and Libras. You almost made it this year, but with only five, we lost to May which has six. This was the year to have a May birthday. And next:

Abey Finklea, Wisconsin, Washington, elementary education:

ABEY: Hello, everyone. I am very passionate about working with children, and I have had many wonderful experiences working with elementary schools and equine therapy programs for children. My goal is to use my degree to improve the education system and empower underserved students to reach their full potential. Thank you.

CAYTE: Madison Flores, Texas, Texas, law:

MADISON: Good morning, everyone. It feels really great to be here. Thank you all for selecting me as a finalist. As for my career goals, I’m currently studying government at Austin Community College with plans to transfer to the University of Texas at Austin where I will complete my bachelor’s in government before going to law school. Thank you so much.

CAYTE: Tom Geraci, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, marketing and public relations:

TOM: I am Tom Geraci, a senior at Merrimack College, and I have been very involved in the local blind community in the Greater Boston area for most of my youth. I currently work at the school for the blind in Watertown, Massachusetts, in the marketing department, and I am pretty involved locally. But this is my first convention, and I have really enjoyed it so far. Thank you to Cayte Mendez, the rest of the Scholarship Committee, Ryan, Cassandra, and my mentors for guiding me through the whirlwind. Thank you to my fellow finalists, because it’s not easy being the only vision impaired student at your college, and you guys get it. Most importantly, thank you to the donors for giving these scholarships away and allowing me and other students to really live out the college experience we want and deserve. Thank you.

CAYTE: Our scholarship class this year is representative of twenty-two states, but twenty-four affiliates. One of the affiliates that is not a state is the one from which our next finalist hails. Her name is Thelma González Santana. She is representing the affiliate of Puerto Rico, so Puerto Rico home state, Puerto Rico school state, and she is looking at going into a career in international development. She will be speaking through an interpreter, so we’re going to give time to let the process work out.

THELMA: Greetings. Good morning, Federation family. I am very honored to share with all of you. This is my first convention. I am studying strategic communications and international studies. My purpose is to project our philosophy to the entire population in general, so I am carrying out several projects. Among these is to create a database at the Puerto Rico level on how many blind people currently have a job. In addition, I’m trying to create empowerment in all our community with a mobile fashion application and also creating an educational committee for emergency management. The essential idea is to empower our community and let them know that we can all achieve what we want and fulfill our dreams and goals. Thank you.

CAYTE: Ben Grelk, Nebraska, Nebraska, software engineer:

BEN: Hello, everyone. I was a military brat, so I popped around seven different addresses before settling in Nebraska. I am a software developer, and I love using my skills to contribute to open source, especially in the web accessibility space.

CAYTE: Our next finalist is a tenBroek winner: Rachel Grider, California, Louisiana, orientation and mobility:

RACHEL: Hi, guys. I am so excited to be here today. First, thank you so much to the Scholarship Committee and the National Federation of the Blind for selecting me as a finalist. Up until less than a year ago, I was teaching music at a music academy. During the course of several years teaching there, I started becoming more and more involved in the National Federation of the Blind of California. As I was doing that, I started to see that more and more there is such a strong need for orientation and mobility instructors and all kinds of instructors of the blind who help empower blind people, and I started to feel a calling and passion to come and give back. I am back in school, and I am pursuing a degree in Structured Discovery cane travel, orientation and mobility, and my goal is to teach Structured Discovery in a place where there is not a lot of SDCT around. One of my dearest ambitions is to start a Structured Discovery center in California.

CAYTE: Amanda Juetten, Tennessee, Tennessee, blindness training:

AMANDA: Good morning, Federation family! How are you? I’m Amanda Juetten from Tennessee, currently getting my bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and will go from there to work on a graduate certificate in blindness rehabilitation teaching. I am opening a training center in the wonderful state of Tennessee, and we have established our nonprofit and working on the process of funding and development and getting that thing up and off the ground. I enjoy serving on many boards and positions within the Federation, but I mostly enjoy serving and doing whatever it takes to see the Federation reach the blind community. I believe in the philosophies of the Federation, and I believe that we need more quality teaching in the area of alternative skills of blindness. That is my aim, and that is my goal. Thank you so much; thank you for this opportunity.

CAYTE: The next one I mispronounced twice. I’ll see if I get it right this time. This is Thor Kargatis. I mentioned earlier there were two affiliates, not states, represented in this class. Thor hails from the District of Columbia, going to school in New Jersey and pursuing a career in urban planning.

THOR: Cayte actually got it right on the third time today. Nicely done! Good morning, everyone. I’m Thor Kargatis, the guy who has been doing neurodivergent things in the front right corner of the room for the past two hours. I’m interested in studying urban planning. I’ve come to realize there is often an overlooked aspect of accessibility, which is that accessibility means frequent bosses and accessible Braille services and fair systems that work and whatnot. I’m very new to the NFB. I didn’t find out about its existence until I applied for the scholarship. I’m here to meet people. This is my first convention. I implore you to come up and say hello and talk to me about anything, whether you want to talk to me about me living in DC or urban planning or anything really. I’m eager to make some friends here.

CAYTE: Miranda Lacy, West Virginia, West Virginia, social work:

MIRANDA: Hello, everyone. Good morning. I’m humbled and thankful that I have been chosen as a finalist from West Virginia. I’m studying social work at West Virginia University. My undergraduate degree is psychology from West Virginia State University. I spent thirteen years out of the workforce thinking that I would never be able to work while raising my children as a single mother. I have two boys, ages twelve and eighteen, but blindness is not the characteristic that defines me. I am excited to start my internship at the Appalachian Center for Independent Living. It’s the first time I’ve worked in eighteen years. It’s been exciting and overwhelming. I found the National Federation of the Blind when I was seeking assistance with discrimination from my university. So I am thankful to have an advocate in the West Virginia chapter, Ms. Sheri Koch. I’m excited to be here and learn about the NFB philosophy. I am a new member.
I can’t wait to get to know you all. Thank you so much.

CAYTE: Julia LaGrand, Michigan, Massachusetts, violinist and educator:

JULIA: Good morning, Federationists. Thank you to everyone for giving me this incredible opportunity. I am about to start a joint degree program at the New England Conservatory at Harvard pursuing violin performance and a liberal arts education. I want to continue my work becoming the best classical violinist I can be, but also be a more broadly educated person and continue my passion for disability advocacy. I have had a number of professional opportunities to engage in this kind of work, and I have also learned so much about the organized blind movement and how that interacts with music through my role as a board member of the National Federation of the Blind Performing Arts Division. I am so grateful for the Federation. In this year of music intensive training, I have heard so many times in different ways about how classical music doesn’t work with blindness, and I have been so grateful to my Federation family who I have called often to hear reassurances and grow, and it has changed me so much. I look forward to continuing growing with the Federation, and thank you for making that all possible.

CAYTE: Miles Little, District of Columbia, District of Columbia, finance:

MILES: Good morning, everybody. First off, I would like to say that I’m very thankful and grateful for being here, and I have plans to become a financial adviser. Also, one thing I’m excited about is that I want to show everybody that we can do it and that it is possible. Thank you.

CAYTE: Tamara Lundy, Louisiana, New York, healthcare finance:

TAMARA: Good morning, everyone. I am honored to be standing before you this morning. My career goal is to become a financial analyst or health insurance specialist. I served in a nonprofit clinic for fifteen years, and my passion is to serve patients. I’m honored to be able to do that once again. I’m looking forward to pursuing my CDC as a certified medical professional coder once I get my master’s degree. I also look forward to serving you all once again in New Orleans. Thank you.

CAYTE: Enrique Mejia, Iowa, Iowa, special education teacher:

ENRIQUE: Good morning, Federation family. My name is Enrique Mejia, and I’m currently pursuing my master of science in teaching with an endorsement in special education at Drake University. For the last ten years, I have worked at the Iowa Department for the Blind as a technology specialist where Dr. Jernigan developed the philosophy that we now refer to as Structured Discovery. During the summer I have worked with students to become empowered and pursue their goals. Throughout the years they have inspired me to no longer be a bystander and pursue my own goal to work with children who are receiving special education services. I am deeply thankful to the National Board and the Scholarship Committee, as well as the generations of Federationists who have come before me—Federationists like Shawn Mayo, Emily Wharton, and of course my wife, Helena Mejia, who is in the audience. Thank you, and let’s go build the National Federation of the Blind.

CAYTE: Josè Andre Montano, District of Columbia, New York, jazz pianist:

JOSÈ: Hello, everybody. I’m Josè Andre Montano. It’s an honor and a pleasure to be selected as a finalist. Thank you so much. My goal in the future is to become a piano teacher and mentor for other young musicians like me. Despite the challenges I have had, I’m still here today, transmitting joy and happiness with my music. Remember that life is a trip to be enjoyed, and we can all love our differences and who we are. Thank you so much.

CAYTE: Sam Morgan, Colorado, Massachusetts, meteorology:

SAM: Good morning, Federation. I want to say that I’m deeply grateful to be here, and it’s an honor to be among such great people. For my degree, I am pursuing a master’s degree in meteorology at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, with a minor in math and a minor in sustainability. Thanks to the Federation scholarship, this fall I’m going to be doing research in Iceland on how climate change is impacting precipitation trends in the Arctic. Further in my career I hope to be able to help with the presence of those with blindness and low vision in the fields of STEM and atmospheric science. Thank you.

CAYTE: Joshua Olukanni, Georgia, Minnesota, organizational development:

JOSHUA: Hello, everyone. Good morning. I just want to start off by saying I’m very appreciative to have the opportunity to be a scholarship finalist. I am currently majoring in human resource development at the University of Minnesota. I want to leverage this degree to become an organizational development consultant where I can come up with strategies to better implement DEI and how to best develop and organize an organization to make it run most efficiently. Currently I am learning a lot from the current internship I have at Unilever, and I hope I can continue to build on the foundation I have. Thank you.

CAYTE: So there are thirty-two years between our most seasoned scholarship finalist and our youngest. This next finalist is toward the younger end. Although I would like to shout out the most senior member of the scholarship class, I won’t say who that is. That person’s birthday is Valentine’s Day, which is really fun.

Our next finalist is not "the youngest;" that one is coming later, but, Natalie Rankin, Texas, Texas, cybersecurity:

NATALIE: Hi, everyone. I want to express how deeply grateful I am for this incredible opportunity that the Federation has offered me. I am deeply passionate about protecting privacy in this digital age that we live in, and I fully intend to use this scholarship to help in promoting a safer cyberspace that is accessible for all. Again, thank you so much.

CAYTE: Casey Reyes, Utah, Utah, public relations:

CASEY: Hello all. My name is Casey Reyes. I’m very grateful for having been selected as a 2024 scholarship finalist from the National Federation of the Blind. I’m currently studying strategic communication at the University of Utah and hope to pursue a degree to go on to pursue a career in crisis management. Mentorship is something that I deeply value, and since becoming more involved in the National Federation of the Blind, I have been blown away by the abundance of mentorship available to me. I look forward to taking advantage of this mentorship and growing. I cannot wait for where the Federation can take me and where I can take the Federation to live the life I want. Thank you.

CAYTE: Muntaha Ruthba, Texas, Texas, international blindness program:

MUNTAHA: Hi everyone. I am Muntaha Ruthba, and I go by Ruth. I’m a Bengali American woman from Austin, Texas. I’m majoring in psychology and minoring in disability studies at UT Austin. My goal is to remove mental and physical barriers for blind children and families so that they have the tools and training to be independent and successful. I’m so grateful for everyone who has made this scholarship possible. Thank you.

CAYTE: Dishon Spears, Colorado, Colorado, nonprofit tech:

DISHON: Hello, everyone. My name is Dishon Spears, and I want to thank the Board and NFB for giving me the opportunity to get this scholarship. I’m studying business right now with my focus being on nonprofit organizations. I hope to start my nonprofit and being able to give back to blind people in the technology area. Thanks again to the NFB and to all of you who helped raise money to make this possible.

CAYTE: The youngest finalist is in the last group, and this person turned eighteen which means they qualified for the scholarship, on July 2—just squeaked under.

So, since we shared a fun fact about our most seasoned birthday, I thought it would be a fun fact about our least. As we commence the last group of scholarship finalists this year, we have Jonesti Steele, Mississippi, Alabama, rehab counselor:

JONESTI: Good morning. For those of you who don’t know me, I went blind three years ago due to a physical assault. Initially I looked at my predicament so negatively until I realized I was blind but blessed. As a rehabilitation counselor, I aspire to continue working alongside my Federation family within our movement to make a difference. My plan is to encourage individuals to see capabilities before our disabilities. Thank you.

CAYTE: Maranda Ulvestad, Arizona, Arizona, elementary teacher:

MARANDA: Hello, Federation family. Thank you so much for the opportunity to be a finalist. For me, I have seen my confidence grow from being a member of the NFB through the opportunities that I have received from this organization, some of which include advocating for the blind community at the Washington Seminar, as well as working as a mentor for the BELL® Program this year. I am looking forward to becoming an elementary schoolteacher sometime in the future and working to build the NFB in the rural parts of my home state of Arizona.

CAYTE: Our next finalist is a tenBroek winner. Colin Wong, Washington, Washington, professor:

COLIN: Thank you, everyone. My name is Colin Wong, and I’m honored to be here today. The Federation has shaped me to be who I am as a student of both CCB and LCB, and even my first job was offered to me outside general session at Shingle Creek. So I’m incredibly thankful for the Federation and the Scholarship Committee for supporting me again in advancing my career and pursuing a PhD in educational leadership to become a university professor and researcher to study adult education and blindness education. There needs to be more research in blindness with the high expectations expected from the National Federation of the Blind. Thank you.

CAYTE: Lynn Wu, California, California, nonprofit tech:

LYNN: Good morning, everyone. My name is Lynn Wu, and I am the youngest of the scholarship class this year. I just want to begin by saying how grateful I am to the NFB and the Scholarship Committee for selecting me as a scholarship finalist. I just graduated high school a month ago, and I’m going to pursue a major in computer science at Stanford University with the hope of improving digital accessibility, especially making STEM more digitally accessible to encourage and let more blind people explore the topics in STEM more easily to really help in the age where technology is rapidly advancing. Thank you.

CAYTE: And last of all, this year in our fantastic group of scholarship winners, we have Henry Young, New Jersey, Montana, park ranger:

HENRY: Hello, everyone. My name is Henry Young. Again, I would like to thank the Scholarship Committee for the great honor that you’ve given all of us; it is truly appreciated. I attend the University of Montana, studying history and mountain studies in beautiful Missoula, Montana. This summer, as well as after I graduate, I will be pursuing my dream of living in and working in the national parks, and that is for one simple reason: I love national parks. I want to spend as much time in them as possible, telling their stories in a way that is unafraid of conflict and controversy, yet one that showcases a common American narrative. At the same time, I want to help issue a special welcome to those Americans who do not yet feel a sense of ownership of their national parks, their common inheritance, America’s best idea—to show that these sacred spaces belong to all Americans regardless of race, ethnicity, or disability.

CAYTE: With that, Mr. President and members of the Board, I am pleased to conclude the presentation of the 2024 National Federation of the Blind Scholarship class.

At the Annual Banquet of the National Federation of the Blind, Cayte Mendez presented the 2024 National Scholarship Awards to this year’s winners. Each received a plaque in print and Braille contributed by the Ray Kurzweil Foundation and an award of eight thousand dollars from the National Federation of the Blind.

National Federation of the Blind Scholarships: Lindsay Adair, Krystle Allen, Cole Carper, David Carrillo, Abey Finklea, Tom Geraci, Benjamin Grelk, Thor Kargatis, Miles Little, Tamara Lundy, Natalie Rankin, Muntaha Ruthba, Maranda Ulvestad

Charles and Betty Allen Scholarship: Henry Young

EU and Jean Parker Scholarships: Jonesti Steele

Charles and Melba T. Owen Memorial Scholarships: Amanda Juetten, Julia LeGrand and Joshua Olukanni

Edith R. and Alvin J. Domroe Scholarships: Enrique Mejia and Casey Reyes

Jesse and Hertha Adams Trust Scholarship: Josè Andre Montano

Jacqueline Billey Memorial Scholarship: Hannah Clemenson

Mimi and Marvin Sandler Award: Miranda Lacy

JAWS for Windows Award: Dishon Spears

NFB STEM Scholarship: Lynn Wu

Oracle Scholarship for Excellence in STEM Field: Sam Morgan

Adrienne Asch Memorial Scholarship: Colin Wong

Scott C. LaBarre Memorial Scholarship: Madison Flores

American Action Fund Scholarship: Rachel Grider

Kenneth Jernigan Memorial Scholarship: Thelma González Santana