2005 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards

Kathleen Ernst, Georgia

Despite being visually impaired and 20 years older than the average college student, Kathleen Ernst did what once seemed impossible to her: she became the first woman in her family to graduate from college.

Challenged by Stargardt's disease, which caused the deterioration of and eventual blindness in her central vision when she was only 11 years old, Kathleen excelled as a student and employee at the University of Georgia's (UGA) Terry College of Business, where she graduated with a 3.81 GPA. A professor describes Kathleen as "the most outstanding student in the class."

In addition to her studies at UGA and Georgia Southwestern University, Kathleen has traveled to Cuba nine times and attended the University of Havana for cultural immersion and intensive advanced level Spanish language programs. All the while, she balanced her school work with a full-time position as Program Manager of the Terry College of Business IBM MBA program. Kathleen has also worked and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and was employed by the University of Pennsylvania.

Kathleen plans to find a job in the international nonprofit field, further her Cuban studies and experience as much of the world as possible. She will also continue learning the Spanish language, with hopes of one day becoming totally fluent. Kathleen credits RFB&D with providing her with a "sense of empowerment that would otherwise not be there." As for the disabilities that had once threatened her goals and ambitions, Kathleen proclaims, "With much support from family, friends and organizations such as RFB&D, I have successfully overcome them."

Scott MacIntyre, Arizona

Scott MacIntyre's daily struggle with low vision can be compared to "looking at the world through a coffee straw." Diagnosed with the rare genetic eye disorder Congenital Leber's Amaurosis, Scott is totally blind in dim lighting and only has two degrees of tunnel vision in the center of his field.

The accomplished pianist, who has performed with the Phoenix Symphony as well as internationally, is only able to see one note at a time on a sheet of music. "Some would view my visual impairment as a tragic loss," he says. "I don't view it in that sense any longer. My love for music has more than compensated for my lack of vision."

Before he began using RFB&D's recorded books, Scott dreaded reading any text, for it was cumbersome, time consuming and frustrating. After he was introduced to RFB&D, however, he found recorded books to be much more efficient and enjoyable. Sharing books such as Robinson Crusoe and Huckleberry Finn with his family became a bonding experience on long car trips. Eventually all that listening to RFB&D's audiobooks paid off in a big way - Scott graduated from college at an age when most seniors are just graduating high school.

At 19 years old, Scott graduated summa cum laude at Arizona State University and was selected by USA Today as one of the nation's top 20 collegiate seniors of 2005. Also named a Marshall Scholar, Scott is studying music at Cambridge University and Royal College of Music in England. When not studying, Scott enjoys everything from musical theater and ballroom dancing to computer programming and skiing. "RFB&D has removed one of the most preventative barriers to my education," says Scott. "I am now liberated to enjoy virtually any printed material imaginable."

Jessica Smith, South Carolina

Jessica Smith recalls how beginning to lose her sight "at the tender age of 14" and then having her mobility limited by multiple sclerosis (MS) once posed serious challenges to her dreams of academic and professional success. "The initial impact of this unexpected vision loss was detrimental to my academic performance because I could no longer see the print in my textbooks," says Jessica. She and her mother spent the next four years researching MS and learning first-hand "the devastating emotional and financial effect a chronic illness can have on a single-parent household."

After becoming legally blind, Jessica was introduced to RFB&D by her high school's vocational rehabilitation service and discovered that "accessing my textbooks in an alternative format enabled me to perform on an equal basis with other students." In college, aided by RFB&D, she took on three challenging majors (finance, business economics and accounting) and was ranked in the top of her class. While attending Francis Marion University in South Carolina, Jessica maintained a 3.95 GPA. In fact, one professor describes her as "the best performing student that I have had."

In addition to graduating in the top seven percent of her class with a bachelor's degree in business administration, Jessica interned at the Department of Defense and now works for the federal government's Defense Finance and Accounting Services (DFAS). Jessica intends to use her math talents to become a certified public accountant and aspires to become the Chief Financial Officer of a major corporation. She also gives back to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society by making annual donations and helping the organization raise money for research.