VSP Vision News

VSP Vision News

VSP Vision and Black Eyecare Perspective Announce 2023 Empowering Equity Scholarship Winners

VSP Vision™, along with the Black Eyecare Perspective, is proud to announce the winners of the inaugural Empowering Equity Scholarship: Azalia Roach, NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry (class of 2024) and Mihret Girum, University of California - Berkley Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry and Vision Science (class of 2024).

To apply for the scholarship, candidates had to submit a public service announcement video addressing how communities of color can improve eye health and eye health awareness. They also had to submit examples of leadership, community involvement, and optometric industry experience. Each winner received a $15,000 scholarship and was honored at the 2023 NOA Convention in Fort Lauderdale, FL on July 7.

VSP Vision and Black Eyecare Perspective united in 2021 to support the 13% Promise: the mission to improve and increase representation of Blacks and African Americans in the optometric industry to align more closely with the United States Census population. Together, they created the Empowering Equity Scholarship in 2022 to invest in the education of future optometrists and sustain a standard of equity in the profession of optometry.

Over the last 10 years, VSP® has provided more than $3 million in scholarship support to optometry students. Learn more about how VSP is supporting the next generation of optometrists here.