Guild Awards College Scholarships to 16 High-achieving Students from Nine States
The Jewish Guild for the Blind (The Guild) recently announced that it will award scholarships of $10,000 to each of 16 college-bound high school seniors who are legally blind. The GuildScholar Program scholarships will be awarded prior to the academic year that begins September 2011. The recipients are currently enrolled in high schools in the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, Oregon and Texas. The GuildScholar Program was created, in part, through a generous grant from the Jeannette A. Klarenmeyer Trust.
A former teacher of one of the winners is also being acknowledged for his role in encouraging and bringing out the best in his student. Each applicant was asked to write an essay about a teacher who is of great importance to them. The teacher chosen from among the applicants’ essays will receive a prize of $5,000.
“We’re mindful of the often unexpectedly large sums of money needed to accomplish a successful transition from high school to a college or university and we think that this scholarship money can be put to excellent use during this phase,” said Alan R. Morse, JD, PhD, President and CEO of The Guild.
“At The Guild, we are committed to working toward a more inclusive society. The GuildScholar program will help assure that more blind students are able to enroll in colleges or universities that might otherwise be beyond their reach financially,” Dr. Morse continued. “We’re not concerned with their fields of study, but we are eager to help in the education of this country’s next generation of leaders, a group that must include persons with vision impairment,” he said.
The recipients were chosen by a selection committee not only experienced in overseeing programs for blind and visually impaired persons, but also knowledgeable in matters of student financial aid and the non-profit organizations that fund educational programs. The members of the selection committee are:
Karen Gourgey, EdD, Director of The City University of New York’s Baruch College Computer Center for Visually Impaired People;
Patricia N. Lewis, PhD, Executive Director of the AIM Foundation, Houston, Texas;
Alan R. Morse, JD, PhD, President and CEO of The Jewish Guild for the Blind;
Thomas A. Robertson, former Associate Commissioner of the New York State Commission for the Blind and Visually Handicapped;
Frederic K. Schroeder, PhD, Research Professor, San Diego State University, former Director of the Professional Development and Research Institute on Blindness, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, La.
The committee chose the 16 winners after a rigorous application process that included criteria such as academic excellence, community involvement, legal blindness, financial need and U.S. citizenship. The 2011 GuildScholar Program scholarship winners are:
• Karen Arcos of Los Angeles, Calif. — John Marshall H.S.
• Thomas John Carroll III of Glenview, Ill. — Glenbrook South H.S.
• Katelyn Chandler Corey of Culver City, Calif. — Notre Dame H.S.
• Sarah Gonzales of Atlantic Beach, Fla. — Mandarin H.S.
• Constantine Greanias of Valencia, Calif. — Valencia H.S.
• Michelle A. Hackman of Great Neck, N.Y. — John L. Miller-Great Neck North H.S.
• Ann Kwong of El Monte, Calif. — John Marshall H.S.
• Catherine Lei of Elk Grove, Calif. — Franklin H.S.
• Emma Liu of Bethesda, Md. — Walt Whitman H.S.
• Wai Hin Judith Lung of Monterey Park, Calif. — Temple City H.S.
• Maayan Malter of Wilmette, Ill. — New Trier Township H.S.
• Christopher Meyer of Kokomo, Ind. — Kokomo H.S.
• Sylvia Modesitt of Martinsburg, Mo. — Community R-VI
• Lance Matthew Norris of Spring, Texas — Klein Oak H.S.
• Isaac Edward Prahl of Portland, Ore. — Metropolitan H.S.
• Trent Underwood of San Diego, Calif. — Rancho Bernardo H.S.
The teacher chosen to receive a prize is:
Alan Schorn of John L. Miller-Great Neck North High School
35 Polo Road, Great Neck, N.Y. 11023
The Jewish Guild for the Blind is a not-for-profit, nonsectarian agency serving persons of all ages who are visually impaired, blind and multi-disabled. The Guild offers a broad range of programs that include: medical, vision, low vision, psychiatric and rehabilitative services, managed long-term care (GuildNetSM), Adult Day Health Care (GuildCareSM), schools and educational training programs for independent living. In addition, The Guild’s education and training program, SightCareSM, for people who work with and care for persons with vision loss, addresses the special needs of thousands of people nationwide. #
