Baltimore, Maryland (May 11, 2015): The National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the nation’s oldest and largest organization of blind people, today announced the finalists for its 2015 Scholarship Program, which awards thirty scholarships each year to recognize achievement by blind scholars. The students are listed below in alphabetical order with their home states and vocational goals.  

• Katie Adkins, KY:  Teacher
• Douglas Alt, MI: College professor
• Karen Arcos, CA: Policy advocacy
• Annika Ariel, CA: Disability law
• Liliya Asadullina, PA: Naturopathic doctor
• Michael Ausbun, NV: Foundational professor
• Brianna Brown, TX: Education
• Mary Church, CA: Psychology
• Chase Crispin, NE: Public school band director
• MarChé Daughtry, VA: Law
• Bryan Duarte, AZ: Software engineer
• Alexandra Engraf, ND: Human services, counseling
• Lashawna Fant, MS: Counselor
• Robert Gulledge, AL: Secondary education
• Dezman Jackson, MD: Health education
• Mary Abby Jusayan, RI: Teacher for visually impaired
• Kaitlyn Kellermeyer, TX: Government service or investing
• Miriam Lozneanu, SC: Programmer
• Nefertiti Matos, NY: Helping/teaching profession
• Sarah Meyer, IN: Mental health counseling
• Mark Myers II, MO: Computer and software design/development
• Crystal Plemmons, NC: Community college instructor
• Jason Polansky, MD: Youth ministry, counseling, or civil engineering
• Karolline Sales, LA: Braille teacher
• Kaitlin Shelton, OH: Music therapy
• Christopher Stewart, KY: Legal field
• Teri Stroschein, OR: School counselor
• Kelsi Watters, WI: Spiritual counseling
• Hannah Werbel, WA: Biomedical engineering
• Tamika Williams, AL: Blind services/entrepreneurship/social services

“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 electrical engineering to horticulture, 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.” 

In July each finalist will attend the NFB’s seventy-fifth annual national convention in Orlando, Florida, 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 Friday, July 10.

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