April 26, 2023 — VSP Vision and Black EyeCare Perspective have launched the Empowering Equity Scholarship to award a pair of optometry students with $15,000.
 
Current optometry students who are expected to graduate in 2024 are encouraged to apply. To be eligible, students must hold a minimum 3.0 GPA and be enrolled in an accredited program within the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.
 
The deadline to apply is Sunday, June 4, and recipients will be announced on Friday, July 7, during the National Optometric annual conference set to take place in Fort Lauderdale, FL, July 6-9. Click here to apply.
 
“In just our second year partnering with VSP Vision on our efforts to support the 13% Promise, we have made great strides in our mission to improve and increase the representation of Black individuals and African Americans in the optometric industry,” says Black EyeCare Perspective executive director Essence Johnson, O.D., FAAO, Dipl ABO. “Our goal with this scholarship is to both award and recognize deserving students who are aligned with our cause of advancing diversity in the profession. There is an opportunity for increased access to care and better health outcomes for Black communities when there are more Black optometrists and eyecare professionals.”
 
For more information: blackeyecareperspective.com.