At the awards ceremony are (l to r) Peggy Striplin, senior director of development, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry; Mike Elton, director of professional services, Hoya Vision Care; Dean John Amos OD, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry; award winner Andrew Graves, 4th Year Optometry Student, University of Alabama Birmingham College of Optometry, and Hoya Vision Care CEO Barney Dougher. |
At the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year, Hoya invited optometry schools in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico to participate in the grant and scholarship program. Optometry students at each participating university wrote a case study prescribing a Hoya product to solve a vision problem. Faculty at each school chose the winning case study and $1,000 grant recipients; Graves was selected to earn the $6,000 scholarship.
“Hoya’s grant and scholarship program helps prepare the independent eyecare professionals of tomorrow,” Elton said.
The individual $1,000 grant recipients and their respective schools are Casey Bartz, Illinois College of Optometry; Jennifer Nance, Indiana University College of Optometry; Eveena Mahal, InterAmerican University of Puerto Rico; Mike Tommolino, Michigan College of Optometry; Lauren Fiscale, New England College of Optometry; Brian Zwanziger, Northeastern State University; Giannie Castellanos, Nova Southeastern University; Catherine Schuck, Pacific University College of Optometry; Amy Kohen, Pennsylvania College of Optometry; Anne Vollmar, The Ohio State University College of Optometry; Scott Gunderson, University of California Berkeley College of Optometry; Juan Menjivar, University of Houston College of Optometry; Andrea Andrud, University of Missouri College of Optometry; Alethea Law, University of Montreal; and Ernest Lucchetti, University of Waterloo School of Optometry. ■