Congratulations to the 52nd NAA Winners!
Learning Through Listening® (LTL) Awards for Learning Ally Members with a Learning Disability
Top Winners receiving $6,000 award:
Margaret Perry
Home Town: Baltimore, Maryland
Education Path: Graduated from St. Paul's School for Girls; attending Duke University in North Carolina
Interest: Public Policy | Art
"School has always been a challenging journey for me and Learning Ally has become my greatest tool in helping me to perservere."
Grey Pilant
Home Town: Fort Myers, Florida Education Path: Graduated from Cypress Lake High School with dual enrollment at Florida Gulf Coast University; attending University of Miami
Interest: Pre-med | Biochemistry
“Learning Ally has played a huge role in my life by providing me with hope and a solution when I desperately needed one.”
Carson Wigley
Home Town: Salisbury, Maryland Education Path: Graduated from Worcester Preparatory School; attending Wake Forest University in North Carolina
Interest: Health | Exercise Science
“Learning Ally has enabled me to achieve my academic accomplishments in high school, and it will be the first thing I pack in my suitcase for Wake Forest University."
Special Honors Winners receiving $2,000 award:
Mike Boland
Home Town: Redwood City, CA
Education Path: Graduated from Junipero Serra High School; attending Rhode Island School of Design
Interest: Graphic Design
“If it weren't for Learning Ally, I would not have been as successful in school or had the time to participate in the many community service projects that I have had the opportunity to learn from."
Heidi Henderson
Home Town: Portland, Oregon
Education Path: Graduated from Central Catholic High School; attending University of Puget Sound in Washington
Interest: Biology | Chemistry
“People need to understand that the difficulty of dyslexia is not due to lack of intelligence or effort. It is, rather, the need for different teaching methods and learning environments now technologically available thanks to Learning Ally."
Justin Lowe
Home Town: Christiana, Tennessee
Education Path: Graduated from The Webb School; attending Middle Tennessee State University
Interest: Science
“I am living proof that learning through listening transforms lives. I use every opportunity to share Learning Ally with struggling students."
Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards (SAA) for RFB&D Members who are Blind or Visually Impaired
Top Winners receiving $6,000 award:
Ashley Brow
Home Town: Mashpee, Massachusetts
Education Path: Graduated from Emerson College in Boston; obtaining graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Emerson College
Degree: B.S. in Communication Disorders with a minor in Psychology
“With the help of Learning Ally I have had access to textbooks in a variety of fields that would otherwise not have been available to me."
Steph Fernandes
Home Town: Steubenville, Ohio Education Path: Graduated from Boston College; summer 2011 internship at the American Association of People with Disabilities in DC; attending Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University
Degree: B.A. in Communications with a minor in Philosophy
“I believe access is the biggest obstacle facing students with disabilities, and Learning Ally actively serves to bring accessiblility to students who are unable to read print effectively."
Henry (Hoby) Wedler
Home Town: Davis, California
Education Path: Graduated from University of California Davis; obtaining graduate degree in Organic Chemistry from University of California Davis
Degree: B.S. in Chemistry and History with a minor in Mathematics
“Learning Ally made me much more independent by having the chemistry books I needed with excellent descriptions of figures. These descriptions are a remarkable resource for people who are blind."
Special Honors Winners receiving $3,000 award:
Alicia Betancourt
Home Town: Daytona Beach, Florida Education Path: Graduated from University of Central Florida
Degree: Master's Degree in Social Work
“Being able to have textbooks and literature available that is both accessible and easy to use provides me with the freedom of choice."
Courtney Tabor
Home Town: Saco, Maine Education Path: Graduated from University of New England in Maine
Degree: Master's Degree in Social Work
“I love being able to find books not only on the subject matter I need, but in formats that stay technologically current."
Isaiah Wilcox
Home Town: Marietta, Georgia
Education Path: Graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta; summer 2011 internship at Dept. of Defense; plans to attend graduate school and obtain a degree in Information Systems
Degree: B.A. in Business Administration
“After graduation I intend on utilizing Learning Ally to access books and materials to aid me in the progression of my career."
Honors Winners receiving $1,000 award:
Casey Burkhardt
Home Town: Toms River, New Jersey
Education Path: Graduated from Villanova University in Pennsylvania; summer 2011 internship at Google in California; obtaining Master's Degree in Computer Science from Villanova University
Degree: B.S. in Computer Science
“Access to my textbooks and other reading materials from Learning Ally allowed me to stay on target with my fellow students."
Sara Minkara
Home Town: Hingham, Massachusetts
Education Path: Graduated from Wellesley College in Massachusetts
Degree: B.A. in Mathematics and Economics
Founder of Empowerment Through Integration (ETI)
“Once I lost my vision, I grieved at the thought of being denied access. Thankfully, Learning Ally provided me with a library stocked with novels and textbooks."
Shannon Marie Russell
Home Town: Portland, Oregon
Education Path: Graduated from Portland State University; obtaining graduate degree in Bilingual Special Education from Portland State University
Degree: B.A. in Science and Spanish with a minor in Education
"As a future teacher, I understand that Learning Ally provides another modality for access to information that would otherwise not be accessible."