2009 Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards

RFB&D annually awards students in two categories: The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards to college seniors who are blind or visually impaired; and the Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Awards to high school seniors with learning disabilities. These rigorously selected student winners are role models of success and inspirational to students across the nation. The top winners will receive their awards in Washington, D.C. in February 2010.

The Mary P. Oenslager Scholastic Achievement Awards ($6,000 each) are given to RFB&D members who are college seniors and blind or visually impaired.

Top Winners:

Monty Anderson

Home State: Arizona (Southwest Region)
College: University of Hawaii

"RFB&D has been essential in furthering my education while feeding my voracious thirst for knowledge. I see RFB&D continuing to be a part of my life far beyond graduation and long into my professional career and retirement."

Monty Anderson is a 37-year-old student. Legally blind, Monty recently completed his master's degree in clinical psychology, including a dual specialty in behavioral neuroscience, with a 3.6 GPA! Monty also completed his first year of law school with RFB&D being "… a faithful companion every step of the way."

The road to both his success and to RFB&D, however, was anything but smooth. Monty's parents first noticed something was wrong when, as a toddler, Monty dropped a cookie on the floor, and then got down on his knees to search for the object by sweeping his hands across the floor. In grade school, Monty was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa and was told that he would lose his eyesight by the time he reached his twenties.

Following years of reading by squinting through a magnifying glass and getting incredible headaches, Monty graduated high school in Arizona, then left friends and family to join his father in Maui. In those first lonely three years, Monty suddenly discovered books - on tape, from the Talking Book Library for the Blind. This new love sparked his hunger to "devour books" and Monty was soon on his way to community college, where a counselor informed Monty about RFB&D.

"For the first time I could focus on absorbing the information - and my grades began to soar," said Marty. "Because of RFB&D, I was able to increase my course load and navigate successfully through subjects that had previously been too difficult for me."

Described by University of Hawaii Associate Professor Kentaro Hayashi as "very bright and tenacious," Monty and his once-insurmountable goal to obtain a Ph.D in psychology and a law degree is now well under way, vastly expanding his career opportunities in law enforcement and government. Monty now pictures himself in the District Attorney's office and even one day, running for state legislature.

Kurt Herzer

Home Town: Melville, New York (Mid-Atlantic Region)
College: Johns Hopkins University

"Thank you RFB&D for playing a major role in helping me develop into a mature and successful student: the touchstone of all my opportunities and adventures."

22-year-old Kurt Herzer, who is legally blind, just received his B.A. in Public Health from highly regarded Johns Hopkins University - with a 3.87 GPA. Kurt feels passionately about his chosen educational path, and has always pursued a can-do attitude toward life. After being diagnosed with his visual disability at birth, Kurt cultivated a wide range of hobbies, including playing the violin, oil painting, and breeding fruit flies for genetic study.

Continuing to turn his disability into a positive force, Kurt taught computer skills to legally blind children. More recently, he collaborated with the National Federation of the Blind of Maryland on successful legislation that made it possible for visually impaired students to receive large-print textbooks immediately, rather than weeks after classes began.

Relying heavily on RFB&D's textbooks in high school, Kurt notes that RFB&D is not just about access to a large library of recorded books, but rather, the true lasting value of developing auditory and listening skills.

When he is not skiing, biking, playing lacrosse, swimming, practicing violin, painting oils, and designing databases, Kurt is garnering honors and distinctions, including Marshall Scholar, Merck Global Health Scholar, and Truman Scholar. His busy travel schedule includes attending hospital patient safety meetings in Baltimore and London, a House Oversight Committee hearing in Washington, D.C., journeys to World Health Organization headquarters in Switzerland, and even a meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. Kurt has also presented at several conferences, and has had articles published in journals, as well as reports, books and abstracts.

As Kurt pursues medical school, using RFB&D to supplement his studies, we expect him to further distinguish himself on the world stage.

John Russo

Home State: California (Western Region)
College: Texas A&M University-Texarkana

"Thank you to all the RFB&D staff and volunteers for their unwavering dedication in helping to provide educational materials for those who struggle to read print."

John Russo recently graduated from Texas A&M University at age 44 with a bachelor of general studies degree and a 3.89 GPA. John discovered later in life that early laser experimentation had caused his blindness as a child.

He began his education by reading Braille and travelling "by cane." Since Braille textbooks were hard to come by, John also relied on readers to assist with assignments.

Introduced to RFB&D while enrolled at Saddleback Community College, John was finally free to study independently. True to his nature, he became a volunteer tutor to assist fellow students with their studies. In fact, John would read many of the books assigned to his students by ordering the audio books through RFB&D.

Discovering early in his academic career that he was good at public speaking, John joined the nonprofit Disability Awareness Foundation (DAF), speaking at large school assemblies about using "Tools for Success." As living proof that RFB&D was one of his own tools for success, John also briefed school staffs on RFB&D's Learning Through Listening Program prior to speaking.

After tragically losing his wife of 19 years in 2004, John decided to join friends by relocating with his daughters to Texas. Echoing his lifelong theme of turning adversity into triumph, John has since remarried, graduated from A&M, and now plans to complete his Masters of Speech Communication and teach public speaking to college students.

John's counselors and professors give him high marks all around. "John's dedication to learning, his outgoing personality and his desire to help others made him a valuable asset to the program," notes Patti Weekes, Director of Learning Assistance at Saddleback College in California. She adds that John's small groups of tutoring students soon became "standing room only" sessions with 20 to 30 students in attendance.

Learn about the 2009 Marion Huber Learning Through Listening Award Winners.