by Denise Colley
The American Council of the Blind's Scholarship Program was established in 1982. ACB and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) have partnered to offer educational scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $7,500 for legally blind students attending a technical college or who are an entering freshman, undergraduate, or a graduate student. This program awards students with scholarships to help with post-secondary education financial needs such as tuition, fees, room and board and other additional costs associated with adaptive technology.
Congratulations to our 2025 scholarship recipients!
Wasseem Aljanazreh is from Slippery Rock County, Pa., and will be attending Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania. He will be earning a master's degree in special education. He is receiving the William G. Corey/Drishti Foundation Scholarship. He wants to expand his skills in education, disability advocacy, and management, and plans to be a consultant. He volunteers to help empower both children and women. He likes to do training sessions and workshops. He and his wife enjoy watching documentaries.
Chrys Buckley is in a graduate program at Portland State University located in Portland, Ore. She is from Portland and is receiving the Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarship. She wishes to earn a master's degree in book publishing. She wants to work with various publishing aspects: editing, marketing, and getting a book published. She has written a book of personal essays which will be coming out in March 2026. She enjoys reading, writing, and walking/hiking. She is learning to play guitar and keyboard.
Andrew DeAvila is from Del Valle, Texas and is being awarded the Rudolph Dillman/Charles Dillman Scholarship. He is attending the University of Texas in Austin, working toward a Ph.D. degree in Leadership in Special Education. He would like to be a director, or teach at the collegiate level. He is working full-time as an assistive technology coordinator. He has two toddler daughters and enjoys watching their sports and spending time with them. He enjoys movies with audio description, and when there is time, he does cross-fit training.
The Ross N. Pangere Foundation for the Visually Impaired Scholarship is awarded to Amelia Dusenbury. She is from Boise, Idaho and will attend Boise State University. She is working to earn her Ph.D. Her major is mathematics, with a computing emphasis in computer science. She is finishing her master's thesis titled "Garousalicir-kashaev state-integral avariant." When she has some personal time, she enjoys spending time with her husband, gardening, and is a reader.
Andrew Gillespie is being awarded the Norma Schecter/Duane Buckley Scholarship. He is from Cincinnati, Ohio. He will be an entering freshman at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind. He plans to earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science. Andrew experienced a major hearing loss during high school and plans to consider obtaining a guide dog. He was extremely surprised when he received the Student Class Computer Science Award at graduation. He enjoys spending time outside, but his favorite downtime activity is building complicated computers.
Brock Kitterman is receiving the Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarship and is from Huntingdon, Tenn. He is a junior at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. His major is computer science, and he will be earning two minors in mathematics and philosophy. He wishes to work in software engineering. He played adaptive hockey in high school and had the opportunity to meet the Pittsburgh Penguins. Brock doesn't slow down for a moment; in his personal time he enjoys computer games and doing programming.
Noor Khraisat is from Pittsburgh, Pa. Noor is receiving the Floyd Qualls Memorial Scholarship. She is an entering freshman, attending the University of Pittsburgh, and will be pursuing an undergraduate degree double majoring in political science and history on a pre-law track. Over the past five years, she has gained valuable professional experience through an unpaid internship with Nedal Gyro, a popular Greek food truck and restaurant in Pittsburgh, where she has been the social media and Money Manager. She is a Youth Mentor and Leader with the Youth Alliance for Networking and Empowerment, where she leads initiatives aimed at empowering Muslim youth. She wants to eventually go into immigration law or something with disability rights and advocacy.
Robert Lamm is from Fort Collins, Colo., and will be attending Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo. He is receiving the Kellie Cannon/Paul and Ellen Ruckes Scholarship. He is majoring in environmental engineering. He is completing an internship this summer working with water resources. He enjoys these outdoor sports: disk golfing, slack lining, and occasionally hiking.
Aubree Lautenschuetz hails from Plattsburgh, N.Y. She is receiving the Caesar Eghtesadi Scholarship and will be an entering freshman at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Her major is biomedical engineering, and she stated she may continue her journey to a master's at the same university. She would like to research and work with adapted equipment and prosthetics. She enjoys math and science. Her personal time is spent gardening and spending time with her pet dog.
Riley Letterman, from Birch Run, Mich., is receiving the R.I. Gillette/Gladys C. Anderson/Karen D. Carsel Memorial Scholarship. Riley will be an entering freshman at Western Michigan University, located in Kalamazoo, Mich., majoring in music therapy. She would like to work with individuals with disabilities or seniors experiencing dementia. She graduated 2nd in her class. She received the National Chorale Award and performed in Solo Ensemble all 4 years of high school. She loves to sing, but also plays the guitar, ukulele, and a little piano. She is also a dancer of tap, ballet and jazz. A favorite hobby is reading and spending time with her yellow lab, Ella.
Madeline (Maddy) Major, from Plymouth, Minn., is receiving the Rudolph Dillman/Charles Dillman Scholarship. She will be an entering freshman at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She will be completing a double major in sociology and technical writing and communication. Maddy is a dancer and performs as a ballet, tap, jazz or lyrical dancer. She was part of her Spanish Honor Society. When she has time, she enjoys watching TV and reading.
Noah Mayer is being awarded the Eunice Fiorito/Charles Dillman Scholarship. He is from Salem, Ore., and will pursue a degree in visual impairment — special education at Northern Illinois University in De Kalb, Ill. He is a camp counselor at the Northwest Association for Blind Athletes. He is a violinist and has been in his high school orchestra. He was a part of the Northwest Honor Orchestra.
Luke McGraw is from Bourne, Texas. He is receiving the Arnold Sadler/Rudolph Dillman Scholarship and will begin his college work at Sound Mine Institute in Boulder, Colorado. He will be pursuing a graduate degree in Natural Medicine Facilitation. His plans are to open his own retreat center. Luke has been traveling with his wife for the past three years as an environmental educator. In his down time he is active in his local church and enjoys playing a variety of musical instruments. He teaches yoga, likes to rock climb, and enjoys reading.
John Mobley IV, from Jefferson, Iowa, is receiving the Ross N. Pangere Foundation for the Visually Impaired Scholarship. He is attending the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and is in a Ph.D. program. He is majoring in engineering education research with a graduate certificate in Science, Technology, and Public Policy (Nuclear). He would like to be a professor or find a job working with policy. His dissertation will take three years. This summer he is working in Washington, D.C. for the Neuro Energy Institute. He was part of a group of about 30 people from around the world who spent time in Japan at Fukushima Power Plants in 2023. They were part of a workshop with Tokyo Institute of Tech. This is the location where 3 reactors exploded. Much of the area has been cleaned, but there is still work to do. When he has a few moments to wind down, he enjoys walking and bike riding. He likes to ride the Border-to-Border trail around Ann Arbor, Mich.
Kertan (Kit) Rajtal is receiving the Ross N. Pangere Foundation for the Visually Impaired Scholarship. She is from Fort Worth, Texas. She will be an entering freshman at the University of Texas-Austin this fall, majoring in business. She received the Creative Inservice Award as a senior. She likes to volunteer and help people. She likes to teach people and has been helping individuals complete their tax forms. She loves to sit down to play piano, but her favorite activity is playing chess. She has been playing since she was a young girl and loves the challenge.
Frank Ritter is receiving the John Hebner Scholarship. To win this scholarship, a student must be working full-time and taking sufficient courses. Frank is from Houston, Texas. He is attending the University of Houston-Clear Lake located in Houston. He will be earning a Ph.D. in educational leadership. He wants to work with teachers to work with student behavior and restorative practices in the classroom. He is a runner and enjoys performing with his steel drums. He performs for many non-profit organizations, but at Christmas he plays as Santa Claus, playing for children's groups. We were lucky to hear him play during our convention.
Avery Sallean, from Cary, N.C., is receiving the Dr. Bradley Burson/Paul and Ellen Ruckes Scholarship. She is attending the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, N.C. Her major is neuroscience, and she is minoring in chemistry. After completing her bachelor’s degree, she wants to attend graduate school and is in the process of applying. She was awarded a grant to work at a research lab this summer. She is writing for a science magazine, one that is a campus publication. When she is not in class or completing labs, she enjoys reading, baking and has started a book club on campus.
Ella Shrout, an entering freshman, will be attending Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She is receiving the American Council of the Blind of Oregon Scholarship. She is from Portland, Ore., and plans to major in biology. She is a pre-med student and has explored her options for success. She graduated third in her high school class. She competed in swimming in state championships, taking 2nd and 3rd places. She has a job working in a sporting goods store and likes to lead worship in her church.
Charli Strawn is from Glencoe, Ala. She will be attending the University of Alabama-Auburn in Auburn, Ala. She is working toward double majoring in accounting and law and justice. She has participated in the Model United Nations where people work together on a given topic. She went to Charlotte, N.C. this year to attend the conference. She has Soldier, her guide dog. Charli is a very active young leader on campus, and this is her second scholarship. She enjoys running and loves to read. In spite of all her academic reading, she has finished 67 books thus far this year.
Quinn Wagner will be attending Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. this fall. She is from Berks County, Pennsylvania and is in a Ph.D. program, double majoring in environmental engineering and chemical engineering. Her focus is on sustainable energy. She plans to be a professor and complete research. She teaches horseback riding to all ages and abilities. She spends time with her potbellied pigs when she has a few minutes.