Press Releases
Lighthouse Guild Announces College Scholarships to 16 Students Who Are Blind
June 4, 2024
Each Student Receiving $10,000 to Offset Costs of Higher Education
NEW YORK (June 4, 2024) – Lighthouse Guild is awarding college scholarships of $10,000 each to 16 students from across the country who are legally blind and will be entering college or attending graduate school in the Fall.
Since 2005, Lighthouse Guild’s Scholarship Program has awarded over $2.8 million in college scholarships to students who are legally blind. Former scholarship recipients have gone on to a variety of careers, including as nurses, attorneys, teachers, engineers, chemists, composers, musicians, neuroscientists, social workers, business owners, investors, epidemiologists, physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, journalists, and computer scientists.
“Students who are visually impaired can face particular challenges as they pursue their higher education goals,” said Dr. Calvin W. Roberts, President and CEO of Lighthouse Guild. “We are pleased to support these outstanding students and provide them with a clearer pathway to success in their chosen careers. I congratulate them on their academic achievements and wish them all the best in the future.”
Lighthouse Guild scholarships are based on strong academic accomplishment and merit to help students who are legally blind make a successful transition to college and graduate school. The 2024 recipients will be attending some of the nation’s most competitive universities.
Lighthouse Guild 2024 Scholarship Recipients with their schools:
Undergraduate Scholarships
- Andy Shen, San Luis Obispo, CA — Stanford University
- Arthur Murray, Bronx, NY — Vassar College
- Charli Strawn, Gadsden, AL — Auburn University
- Jack Lamson, Baldwinsville, NY — Rochester Institute of Technology
- Jamila Conde, New York, NY — NYU College of Arts and Science
- Lynn Wu, Trabuco Canyon, CA — Stanford University, Recipient of the Dr. Neil S. Patel Memorial Scholarship
- Madeline Mau, Princeton Junction, NJ — NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
- Mercy Rao, Columbia, MD — Elizabethtown College
- Patrick Flaherty, Austin, TX — The University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering
- Raveena Alli, Atlanta, GA — Georgia Institute of Technology
Graduate Scholarships
- Angelica Martini, Atlanta, GA — Georgia Institute of Technology, Scheller College of Business
- Arie Farnam, La Grande, OR — Eastern Oregon University
- Bhavya Shah, Stanford, CA — Stanford University
- Kamran Vora, Plano, TX — Texas A&M University School of Medicine
- Ronak Patel, Baltimore, MD –The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania
- Treasa Praino, Morris Plains, NJ — Syracuse University
Students’ Hopes and Aspirations
“The Lighthouse Guild scholarship truly means the world to me because it allows me to pursue my passion and dreams in college of inventing software and devices to empower different disadvantaged communities around the world,” said Lynn Wu, who is entering Stanford University in California as an undergraduate student in September. She is the recipient of the Dr. Neil S. Patel Memorial Scholarship, awarded by Lighthouse Guild to outstanding students who aspire to support underserved populations.
“I aspire to become a lawyer and I want to work in an area of law such as medical ethics or patent law. I’m fascinated by the interplay between history, law, and science,” said Arthur Murray. “It is my greatest hope to give back to the communities that have helped build my confidence in my abilities both in and out of school. Organizations like Lighthouse Guild have shown me how to break down barriers and that is what I hope to do as a lawyer. I want to help people get higher quality care, more easily, and more fairly.”
“This scholarship means more than just helping me get an education,” said scholarship winner Patrick Flaherty of Austin, Texas who will be attending The University of Texas at Austin, Cockrell School of Engineering. “It will help me massively, both in ease of mind of the expenses directly related to college, and the expenses related to the transition from high school to college.”
“The Lighthouse Guild scholarship is enormous for me,” said Arie Farnam, a scholarship winner who will be enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Creative Writing program at Eastern Oregon University in Oregon. “The scholarship will certainly help me to complete my education. The MFA is the highest degree in its field, which means with that degree I will be able to teach at the university level, as well as publish.” Ms. Farnam is an author who is going back to school after 20 years.
For more photos and videos of this year’s Lighthouse Guild scholarship recipients, please contact Bryan Dotson, Manners Dotson Group, bdotson@mannersdotson.com
Lighthouse Guild
Lighthouse Guild provides exceptional services that inspire people who are visually impaired to attain their goals. Our podcast series, “On Tech & Vision with Dr. Cal Roberts” offers information and insights about technological innovations that are tearing down barriers for people who are blind or visually impaired.
Source: Lighthouse Guild
Contact: Bryan Dotson, Manners Dotson Group
917-796-8632, bdotson@mannersdotson.com
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