Scholarships

Elinor Clark (2023)

Elinor Clark is a student in the TVI program.

Elinor says:  Dear Friends of TVIs and O&M, I want to express my deepest gratitude for being selected as a recipient of this wonderful scholarship. Your generosity has made a significant impact on my academic journey, and I am truly humbled and appreciative of your support. Juggling college alongside my eldest, and with my youngest on the brink of starting his own college adventure, every bit of assistance holds immense significance for me. I have had the pleasure of working as an intern TVI while being in the program, and should start student teaching fall of ‘24. Your support has not only lightened my financial load but has also fueled my commitment to making a positive impact in the lives of my students. Thank you for being a vital part of my journey and for helping me to continue making a difference.

Alecia Barnes (2023)

Alecia Barnes is a student in the O&M program.

Alecia says:  I want to thank the “Friends of TVI and O&M” for the scholarship I received in Fall 2022. Scholarships like the one I received allowed me to continue in the Orientation and Mobility program without financial hardship due to student loan debt.

In addition, your scholarship was a tremendous help by allowing me to invest in equipment and supplies - all necessary tools that support my efforts to become an efficient Orientation and Mobility specialist once I graduate and begin practicing in this exciting field.

I cannot begin to express the extent of my gratitude to the Friends of TVI and O&M for their support. I look forward to an inspiring career in a wonderful field, and I could not have achieved this without your support.

Please continue to do what you do - it truly makes all the difference for individuals like me, who made the scary career decision to start over later in life and choose a field we ultimately love.

Kayla Chen (2023)

Kayla Chen is a student in the O&M program.

Kayla says: I am extremely grateful to be a recipient of the Friends of TVI and O&M Scholarship. Thank you for your generosity in supporting students like me as I complete my graduate studies to enter an exciting, fulfilling career serving people with visual impairments. At San Francisco State University, the Orientation & Mobility program offers a Low Vision Therapy track. As someone who didn't have prior experience working with people with visual impairments in special education and vision rehabilitation, I took this opportunity to broaden my knowledge and to become a more well-rounded professional in the field. This scholarship allowed me to afford textbooks for both low vision therapy and O&M. I referenced these books daily during my internships at the Palo Alto VA, now as a prepare for my Master's exam, and will be utilizing them throughout my career. Thank you again for the scholarship and your unwavering support!

Additional Scholarship Recipients 2023

Diego Gutierrez

Michal Jackson

Caley Soury

James Torney

Lindsay Kerr (2022)

Lindsay Kerr is a student in the TVI program.

Lindsay says: In the Spring of 2022 I was awarded a scholarship from your wonderful organization. With this scholarship it has meant that I have been able to continue my education to become a teacher of the visually impaired. Since receiving the scholarship I have continued my education through SFSU’s program and hope to graduate in Spring 2025. In addition to completing my education, in the summer of 2023 I had an opportunity of a lifetime to receive my first dog guide from Guiding Eyes for the Blind. With this wonderful gift I hope to not only help impact future students with visual impairments achieve their educational goals, but show them the added companionship, independence, and overall better quality of life a dog guide can bring to one’s mobility. 

I thank you once again for this gift and look forward to continuing to pay it forward.

Additional Scholarship Recipients 2022

Aryeh Raskin

Alexandra Escobar

Michelle Fornell

Mollie Tunks (2021)

Mollie Tunks is a student in the O&M program.

Mollie says: I am writing to express my gratitude to you for the scholarship. Receiving this award was an honor and a surprise. The Fall 2021 semester marks the start of my second year as a graduate student and the commencement of my O&M student teaching internships. I am just beginning my journey and every day I grow a little bit more enthusiastic. Just a few years ago I did not know that O&Ms existed but as luck would have it, I landed a job as a 1:1 full inclusion aid for a young child who is blind. Not knowing how I was to support and interact with someone when I knew absolutely nothing about visual impairment sent me on a research journey. I watched videos from Perkins, spoke extensively to the TVI, and followed the O&M Specialist on every lesson possible. It wasn’t long before these exemplary SFSU graduates had me hooked and I knew that I wanted to pursue further education in the field of Visual Impairment. Teaching O&M is important to me because I believe that everyone deserves to have the skills to move purposefully and safely to their fullest capability. This scholarship will allow me to continue to stock my reference library and help offset all of the costs associated with graduate school. Thank you!

Kyra Hoehn (2021)

Kyra Hoehn is a student in the TVI program.

Kyra says: As a scholarship recipient, I am extremely grateful for "Friends of TVI & O&M." Thank you for supporting students like me who are seeking to serve students with visual impairments. This scholarship lifted a large financial responsibility from my family with young children. I am finishing up the TVI credential and hope to intern soon. My background includes teaching students with exceptional needs. I was inspired to add the TVI credential when I had several students with a visual impairment placed on my caseload. Upon meeting my students, I realized I had more to learn to be an effective teacher. I could be the catalyst to make education more meaningful. I hope to bring everything I have learned in the VI credential program to my students with the most profound needs. I am looking forward to being an access specialist and making the world an inclusive accessible place.  

Thank you! And thanks again for selecting me for this scholarship!

Jodi Andino (2021)

Jodi Andino is a student in the TVI program.

Jodi says: My name is Jodi Ann Zukasky Andino and I am a recipient of the Friends of TVI and O&M Scholarship for 2021.  I am finishing my Visual Impairments credential in the Summer of 2021 and this will help me pay the tuition, books, and other fees associated. I am so happy to begin my career as a credentialed TVI and deepen my teaching practice with Blind and low vision students.  

My 10-year plan includes possibilities for pursuing my doctorate, teaching other TVI's and possibly applying to Sesame Workshop to consult on a Blind or Deafblind Muppet.  I was born on the first day Sesame Street came on to TV in 1969. The connection is deep and the avenue for awareness is perfect.

Kristin Lockley (2021)

Kristin Lockley is a student in the TVI program

Kristin says: As a scholarship recipient, it is with a grateful heart that I thank uyouj, the Friends of TVI and O&M, for your support. Your generosity is very much appreciated.

My interest in the VI field dates back to my childhood, when I discovered a folding white cane on the dining room table when I was seven years old. My father was a Rehab counselor for the Department of Rehabilitation; he was my earliest introduction into the field of visual impairment. Many years later, I obtained my O&M credential through SF State and spent the next 25 years teaching O&M before moving into an administrative role. Two years later, my original passion for working with visually impaired students could not be denied, and I returned to SF State to pursue my TVI credential. I am energized by all I am learning in my classes and am looking forward to returning to the school system, as I start a job as a TVI intern this coming fall. I return to teaching with renewed excitement. 

Andrea Scarpetta (2021)

Andrea Scarpetta is a student in the TVI program.

Andrea says: I wish to express my gratitude for your support of students like myself at San Francisco State University! I am currently in my second semester, working towards my Education Specialist Credential for Visual Impairments.

I was drawn to the field initially through orientation and mobility after having navigated a period of pronounced low vision following corneal transplant surgery almost ten years ago. The hands-on nature of the work, and it’s incredible potential to build bridges of self-reliance and independence captured my interest. This past August, I began a position with the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education working as an orientation and mobility specialist, and intern teacher of students with visual impairments (TVI). It has certainly been a most unique year to have begun my teaching career! I am fortunate to be able to apply the strategies, insights and research based practices to the very real context of my day to day. My students, interactions with their family, and the challenges, confusion and joy in any given lesson or week, bring the learning in my coursework to life in many significant ways. My deepest thanks for your support, and for modeling what I hope to be able to return to future students!

Melody Robinson (2020)

Melody Robinson is a student in the O&M program.

Melody says: Thank you for supporting students like me with scholarships that fund graduate studies in Orientation and Mobility. I am eager to enter the professional world with my O&M degree and this scholarship gets me one step closer to that! With this scholarship I am able to pay for the professional exams that will allow me to gain employment after completing my Master’s Degree at San Francisco State University. I love this program and feel fortunate to have learned of its existence through my volunteer experience working in adaptive outdoor adventure sports.

James "Gabe" Torney (2020)

James "Gabe" Torney is a student in the O&M program

Gabe says: This scholarship is a huge help in reaching my academic goals. I plan on financing the rest of my .graduate studies at SFSU through scholarship opportunities and out-of-pocket payments. My wife and I just had our first child this summer and I will be working full-time this school year while my wife stays home with our child. Any amount that comes from scholarships will lessen the amount that needs to be borrowed and paid back in the coming years. Orientation & Mobility is such a crucial aspect of our daily living that many of us take for granted. I am very much looking forward to meeting my future students where they are and providing them with strategies and tools that will help them independently access their environment in whichever way fulfills them the most.

Edith West (2020)

Edith West is a student in the TVI program.

Edith says: This scholarship means a great deal to me to me as I continue my path to a credentialed TVI and receiving my Master’s degree. For me this journey has been challenging, yet worth the struggles. I am inspired as I work with students who are visually impaired. I am inspired by their ingenuity and flexibility as they navigate this world that is not always accommodating to their needs. I am honored to be a part of their lives and help them to be successful. I love to see their “ah-ha” moments and their mountains that they have climbed as they grow and progress in their goals and aspirations. I plan to continue to be a part of student’s lives and help them move into adulthood. I plan to help them to become independent and find their place in the world. I hope to be the inspiration to them that they are to me as I continue forward.

Charlotte "Taylor" Thompson (2020)

Taylor is a student in the TVI program.

Taylor says: Why a TVI? My journey to the path of becoming a teacher for the visually impaired follows ten years of of an entirely different career in digital arts. My decision to dive into education came from years of searching for a field that would fulfill my desire to be challenged, deeply engaged with people, and invested in something I believe in. Needless to say, it was one of the best decisions of my life, as I have been completely enamored with my job, the amazing students I work with and propelled by the many challenges that keep me humble and inspired on a daily basis. My hope is to be the best teacher for the visually impaired I can be, ever-refined by my students and colleagues alike.

How this Scholarship will Help As a graduate student working full-.me with a family at home, navigating the balance between school, work, and play is challenging. Juggling the financial burdens of school is always a significant part of the challenge. This scholarship allows me to alleviate the stress of the financial burden of completing a program I love, and turn my energies towards working at my best capacity, studying with my full aJen.on, and sewing into my loved ones with a sound mind and peace in my heart. In all, a gift such as the Friends of TVI scholarship is propelling me towards becoming all that I dream to be, and for that I am deeply thankful.

Naseem Golabi (2017)

Alexandra Bezdikian (2016)

Alexandra is a student in the TVI program. She has a particular interest in work and research at the intersection of education, health and technology. Specifically, she would like to conduct research in the fields of assistive and augmentative technologies for special needs populations so that she might facilitate and design learning environments using media and technology to impact education and living skills. Alexandra also has a particular interest in sonar, sensor and wearable technologies. With her degree, she hopes to bring her areas of interest together and work in education/research to pursue further development in the field and perhaps to enter a Ph.D program someday.

Alexandra says: I wanted to express my sincere and heartfelt thanks for awarding me this scholarship. With these funds, I will continue bringing my areas of interest in education/research to pursue further technology development in this exciting field. This support will help me acquire the tools and resources I need to put me on a path to creating and facilitating relationships toward impacting special needs populations. Specifically, the Friends of TVI/O&M scholarship will enhance my area of study in numerous ways. Mainly, I could make a shift toward working in the field full-time. I could spend time surveying my colleagues and classmates experiential knowledge, engage in more frequent online conversations and collaborations, as well as could attend more offline local events and Meetups.

Again, I thank you for your support and attention!

Dorit Resnikoff (2015)

Dorit is a student in the O&M program. Dorit worked for many years at a camp for the blind and visually impaired in California as a camp counselor and activities director. After a few years working at the camp, she became interested in pursuing a formal education in teaching the blind and visually impaired to learn the theories and foundations that will better prepare her to help people who are blind or visually impaired. With her degree, Dorit hopes to be able to work in the field of blind and visually impaired as a teacher of the visually impaired, and as an orientation and mobility instructor. She would like to be able to teach in many settings, informal ones such as camp, and also formally in schools or training programs.



Dorit says: Working with individuals who are blind and visually impaired has changed the way I look at the world. It is not about what we can and cannot do; rather, it is about how we can achieve the things we want in life. I would like to be involved in a community that looks for paths to success and independence and that supports its members in living to the fullest. I would like to further explore opportunities working with blind and visually impaired, and I am very interested in encouraging independence. I find it very rewarding to help a person discover for himself that not only is he capable, but incredible and able to do things he may never have thought possible. I hope that by gaining a master’s degree in Orientation and Mobility and working with people who are blind and visually impaired in the future, I can be a part of that discovery.

Paul "Chris" Williams (2015)

Chris is a student in the O&M program. He has worked several years at the Hatlen Center for the blind in the residence area. Chris was encouraged by his colleagues to pursue a degree in O&M which he did. He is now working as a member of a stellar rehabilitation staff at the Hatlen Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired in San Pablo, California, where he teaches O&M skills to young adults who have visual impairments.