Rebekka Keifer Honored with Outstanding High School Student with a Visual Impairment Award
Rebekka Kiefer, a graduating Albert Gallatin Area School District senior, was selected for the Outstanding High School Student with a Visual Impairment Award — awarded by Governor Edward G. Rendell, Secretary Sandi Vito, the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services, and the Advisory Committee for the Blind of Pennsylvania. She will be presented with a certificate of commendation at a June 15, 2010, ceremony at the Capitol Complex in Harrisburg, PA.
Rebekka was chosen based on her exemplary character and demonstration of perseverance, high personal standards for achievement, and determination to excel in both the academic and extended core curricula necessary for students with a visual impairment to be successful in post graduation endeavors. The committee also commended the teachers and school administration for fostering an environment that allowed Rebekka the tools and training necessary to take full advantage of an inclusive educational placement.
Rebekka was nominated by her IU1 TVI/COMS teacher, Mrs. Pamela Neill, with input from her principal, teachers, and guidance counselor. Rebekka's academic achievements are extraordinary. She ranks fifth out of the 279 students in her senior class with an overall 4.2818 grade point average. Last summer she served as a Student Ambassador and traveled to Australia with People-to-People, which she documented in PowerPoint as her senior project.
Additionally, Rebekka has been invited to the 70th Annual Convention of the National Federation of the Blind Leadership Conference in Dallas, Texas, to discuss a wide variety of issues related to the visually impaired. She has been accepted to Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania, where she begins her journey to become a veterinarian.
