The $5,000 scholarship Elliott received was made possible by the $3.4 million contribution the CSU system received last year from the estate of longtime San Francisco resident Dale M. Schoettler. The gift established scholarships for visually impaired students at all 23 CSU campuses.

Elliott, 22, was born blind due to cataracts and, although his were removed when he was approximately two months old, he remains legally blind. He has worn contacts since he was eight weeks old and has had to overcome the physical and emotional pain of numerous corrective eye surgeries.

"I feel great and I¹m honored to have won the scholarship," he said. "I was surprised and I was amazed that I actually won, and financially it is going to help me out."

Elliott, a sophomore, wants to continue with his education until he has both a bachelor¹s and a master¹s degree in linguistics. "After I graduate with my master¹s, I¹ll probably go to work with a government agency since I¹ve heard that they have many linguistic positions," he said.

California State University, Northridge has more than 31,000 full- and part-time students and offers 59 bachelor¹s and 41 master¹s degrees. Founded in 1958, it is the only four-year university in the San Fernando Valley and the fourth largest in the 23-campus CSU system. The Western Association of schools and Colleges recently said CSUN "stands as a model to other public urban institutions of higher learning."