The 2005 National Federation of the

The 2005 National Federation of the

Braille Monitor

November
2004
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The 2005 National Federation
of the
Blind Scholarship Program

This
year's scholarship program will be the twenty-second since the organization
determined to expand the number, variety, and value of the scholarships presented
each year at our annual convention in July. Assisting the nation's most talented
postsecondary students to fulfill their academic and professional dreams is
one of the most effective ways for us to demonstrate our conviction that blind
people deserve the chance to enter whatever field they demonstrate themselves
equipped to succeed in.
Scholarships
will be presented this year to thirty college, vocational-school, and graduate
students. Again this year the NFB awards will range in value from $3,000 to
$12,000. This top scholarship has been named the Kenneth Jernigan Memorial Scholarship
and is presented by the American Action Fund for Blind Children and Adults.
We will, of course, also bring the winners as our guests to the 2005 convention
of the National Federation of the Blind to experience firsthand the excitement
and stimulation of a gathering of the largest and most dynamic organization
of blind people in the country today.
Again
we plan to present at least three of the scholarships to students who won scholarship
awards in a previous competition. The purpose of these special awards is to
nurture in today's students an ongoing commitment to the philosophy and objectives
of the Federation. The students so designated will be recognized and honored
as the 2005 tenBroek Fellows. All current students who were scholarship winners
in previous years should take particular note of this program and consider applying
for the 2005 National Federation of the Blind scholarships.
Full-time
employees interested in pursuing postsecondary degrees should take a close look
at the scholarship form because one award may be given to a part-time student
holding down a full-time job.
Every
state affiliate and local chapter can help in spreading the word of this extraordinary
opportunity for America's blind students. The scholarship application is now
available for downloading from the NFB Web site <www.nfb.org>, and forms
have been or soon will be mailed to financial aid offices in educational institutions
around the country. Many of these will be filed away and forgotten by the time
students come to ask about financial assistance. It is very helpful to have
local representatives deliver or mail forms to the actual college administrator
who works with blind students. Being identified with such a valuable national
scholarship program gives the local chapter and state affiliate prestige and
respect, and the local touch insures that more blind students will actually
have an opportunity to apply for these scholarships.
Anyone can order scholarship
forms from the Materials Center, National Federation of the Blind, 1800 Johnson
Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21230 or <[email protected]>. State presidents
and members of the 2005 Scholarship Committee will also be sent scholarship
forms. These may be copied as long as all sides of the form are reproduced.
The 2005 scholarship form is now downloadable from our Web site, <www.nfb.org>.
Please do what you can to spread the word about this program.
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