2014 Recipients of the Fehribach Awards

Front row, left to right:  Emmy Kaiser, Jacob Lipson, Colin McIntire.  Back row, left to right:  Greg Fehribach, Mary Beth Fehribach, Sarah Sims, Jamie Barnes, Kasey Herrington.

Last month, Mary Beth and I presented the 2014 Fehribach Awards to an outstanding group of students.

We have been involved in the awards since 2009, when a longtime award and scholarship opportunity was renamed the Fehribach Awards.  Since then, we have honored five to six outstanding Ball State University students each year.   We are proud to stand with these students and recognize their individual achievements despite their physical challenges.

In today’s economic world, college graduates with disabilities face an uphill climb in securing meaningful and sustainable employment.  However, statistics have shown that these graduates can have a profound impact on our communities at large.   Guided by the Disabled Student Development Department and its director, Larry Markle, these young men and women are well positioned to leave a lasting mark on their professions.

Allow me to share the following 2014 Fehribach Award winners:

Sarah Sims, a junior Social Work major, has been involved with both the Alliance for Disability Awareness and the Faculty Mentorship Program. Maintaining a 3.5 GPA, she is also a member of Grace Village Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministry, where she worked for a semester. Along with fellow Fehribach Award winner Emmy Kaiser, Sarah helped to start a wheelchair basketball group for students with and without disabilities.

Jamie Barnes, a senior Special Education major, is involved with Ball State Dance Marathon and helps coach Special Olympics. She also works 30-40 hours a week as a respite care provider at Bridges of Indiana. During her freshman year, Jamie was involved in the Faculty Mentorship Program, a program that pairs students with disabilities with a faculty mentor in their field of study.

Kasey Herrington, also a senior Special Education major, has maintained a 3.6 GPA, while being involved with the Alliance for Disability Awareness as well as Students for Education Reform.  She has served as a personal care attendant, physical assistant, and note taker for students with disabilities. Kasey is also currently taking part in the Pathways to PhD program.

Emmy Kaiser is a graduate student, studying for her Master of Arts in Sports Psychology, with a 3.7 GPA.  A 2012 Paralympian, Emmy is the #1 ranked women’s tennis player in the United States and does many presentations and demonstrations on wheelchair sports and the experiences of paralympic athletes. While at Ball State, Emmy started a wheelchair basketball group with fellow Fehribach Award winner Sarah Sims for students with and without disabilities.

Jacob Lipson, a senior Theatre major, is the first in his major who is a wheelchair user at Ball State. He has written a play that has been read twice on campus, and writes reviews for films and plays.  As a freshman, Jake took part in the Faculty Mentorship Program.

Colin McIntire, a junior Computer Science major, is a member of the Honors College, maintaining a 3.7 GPA. He is a member of the BSU Power Soccer Club, of which he has been a member for three years. Colin has travelled with the team to tournaments throughout the United States and plans to participate in the national tournament this summer.

Congratulations to our 2014 Fehribach Award winners!