<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40"><head><meta http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=us-ascii"><meta name=Generator content="Microsoft Word 15 (filtered medium)"><style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Aptos Display";}
@font-face
{font-family:Aptos;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;}
h2
{mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2 Char";
margin-top:8.0pt;
margin-right:0in;
margin-bottom:4.0pt;
margin-left:0in;
page-break-after:avoid;
font-size:16.0pt;
font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif;
color:#0F4761;
mso-ligatures:standardcontextual;
font-weight:normal;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Aptos",sans-serif;
color:windowtext;}
span.Heading2Char
{mso-style-name:"Heading 2 Char";
mso-style-priority:9;
mso-style-link:"Heading 2";
font-family:"Aptos Display",sans-serif;
color:#0F4761;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-size:11.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-US link="#467886" vlink="#96607D" style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal>Hello ATHEN Family:<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>As requested by members, the leadership team is sharing some information about our scholarship winners over 2024…<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Ron Stewart Scholarship Update on 2024 Award<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>There were a handful of candidates, mostly comprised of folks entering the disability resource world without much technology related experience, but motivated to acquire new knowledge and skills. We received one application from a professional with in depth expertise and interest in the Access Technology field. Our award recipient is an Accessible Media Coordinator (AMC) at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) with over 15<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>years of experience advancing academic technology, accessibility, and a culture of inclusion. We were thrilled to award the scholarship to a professional that we see as able to bring back valuable information to contribute to and innovate the Access Tech field, and in the future increase their involvement with ATHEN. <o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><h2>Teresa Haven Scholarship Update on 2024 Award<o:p></o:p></h2><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Out of the students who had applied, we received various areas of interest and expertise. We were searching for a student who demonstrated high levels of passion for inclusion of people with disabilities. We awarded this scholarship to a student at Western Washington University pursuing an Urban Planning and Sustainable Development degree with a minor in Critical Disability Studies. A quote from the award recipient: “It is both my passion and my career goal to work in planning and policy to move towards fair and inclusive communities. I feel strongly that physical segregation reinforces and perpetuates attitudinal segregation and inequity. When groups of people are excluded from physical spaces, it reinforces the idea that they do not belong in those spaces. Then, even when they are not technically excluded anymore, they are often still socially excluded. It is my hope to create inclusive spaces from the very beginning, with accessibility and equity in mind, so that everyone is welcome from the outset, not with accessibility features clumsily retrofitted or squeezed in as an afterthought.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>We look forward to future opportunities to handout scholarships in 2025.<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal>Jeff Bishop and the ATHEN Leadership Team<o:p></o:p></p><p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p></div></body></html>