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VSP Vision News
First-Ever VSP Premier Program Student Business Challenge Winner Announced
The VSP Vision™ Premier Program, along with the Association of Practice Management Educators (APME) and the Student Optometric Leadership Network (SOLN), recently named optometry student, Makayla Warden, second-year student at Kentucky College of Optometry, as the winner of the inaugural VSP Premier Program Student Business Challenge. The scholarship was created by the VSP Vision Premier Program in collaboration with APME and SOLN to support optometry students interested in a path to private practice ownership.
To apply for the scholarship, students participating on their school’s Private Practice Club board had to submit a business plan that described their professional and personal plan to private practice ownership. In addition to Makayla, three other finalists – Susmitha Narisetty (Michigan College of Optometry, Class of 2024), Nicholas Vo (Chicago College of Optometry, Class of 2024), and Olivia Burger (Pennsylvania College of Optometry, Class of 2022) – presented their business plans at the 2022 Student Private Practice Leadership Conference on June 11. Makayla was awarded a $10,000 scholarship, and the three finalists were each awarded $5,000 scholarships.
The scholarship was originally created to accept three finalists; however, the caliber of submissions was so compelling, VSP® decided to extend the number of finalists to four students. The amount of competitive submissions demonstrates that private practice ownership is strongly desired for the future of the profession. Optometry students will be well-prepared to pursue this path with support from Premier Pathways™.
The VSP Premier Program Student Business Challenge is one of the many new career support offerings from the Premier Pathways program. Premier Pathways supports doctors at every stage of their career and is uniquely positioned to help doctors find the path they want, with consultation, networking resources, and more. For more information, visit careers.odpaths.com.
