So what’s next? Wondering how to get there from here? Join us for a Braille Challenge Alumni panel to hear from those who have been in your shoes and can give insider tips for success as you approach transitions and next steps in life. Topics will include higher education, employment, independence, and preparing for success. After an overview by each panelist, you will have the opportunity to ask questions. Sound great? Join us!

Please email the Braille Challenge team at BrailleChallenge@brailleinstitute.org with any questions. Registration will close at 7:30am.

Workshop Presenter Bios:

Judith Lung participated in the National Braille challenge from 2007 to 2010, placing first at the Junior Varsity level in 2008 and the Varsity level in 2010. Some of Judith’s favorite memories from the Braille Challenge include meeting very talented peers, typing with breakneck speed during the Speed and accuracy test, and attending the awards banquet with her family and teachers. After graduating from high school, Judith went on to obtain her B.A. in English from UC Berkeley and M.S. in Clinical Rehabilitation and Mental Health Counseling from San Francisco State. Judith fell in love with computer programming after taking an introductory class in college, and she continued learning how to code on her own through taking online classes and working on personal projects. Today, Judith works as an apprentice engineer in Accessibility Engineering at LinkedIn, helping to develop tools that allow engineers to create more accessible products. In her spare time, Judith enjoys reading and writing short stories, composing music, playing piano, taking long walks, and working on an open-source program that converts digital sheet music into braille.

Jessica Minneci has been reading braille for 19 years. She participated in the Braille Challenge from 2008-2015 and competed in the final round in Los Angeles, CA in 2012, 2014, and 2015. Jessica works as a Communications Associate at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, KY. She is also a graduate student at Seton Hill University, pursuing her MFA in Writing Popular Fiction. In her spare time, you can find Jessica reading, writing, swimming, and going on hikes with her guide dog Joyce as well as working on her podcast, The Half-Blood Princesses: A Harry Potter Podcast.