Opening Your Eyes: The Vision Council Scholarship Fund

The Opening Your Eyes Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance and career opportunities to minority high school seniors throughout the United States who have an interest in pursuing a career in the optical industry.  

Scholarships are available upon application to any student enrolled full-time in an Opticianry Program at partner schools within the National Federation of Opticianry Schools (NFOS).

Awarded scholarships are $6,000 per year, plus reimbursement of certification and state exam fees. Scholarships are renewable each year upon successful completion of all course work.

The Vision Council will provide additional career support to scholarship recipients, including free registration and discounted continuing education at both Vision Expo East and West and complimentary National Academy of Opticianry (NAO) and Opticians Association of America (OAA) membership for the first year following graduation.

Participating Schools

Scholarship applications are available on each participating school’s website, and scholarship recipients are selected through the participating school’s foundations. Partner schools include:

  • Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology (MA)
  • Broward College (FL)
  • Camden County College (NJ)
  • Cuyahoga Community College (OH)
  • Daytona State College (FL)
  • Durham Technical Community College (NC)
  • Erie Community College (NY)
  • Essex County College (NJ)
  • Georgia Piedmont Community College (GA)
  • Hillsborough Community College (FL)
  • Miami Dade College (FL)
  • Middlesex Community College (CT)
  • New York City College of Technology (NY)
  • Raritan Valley Community College (NJ)
  • Reynolds Community College (VA)
  • Wiregrass Georgia Technical College (GA)

How to Donate

Members of the vision care community can lend their support to the Opening Your Eyes Scholarship Fund.  To contribute to the scholarship program directly, click here.

 

Industry Support

Almost $340,000 has been pledged towards the Opening Your Eyes: The Vision Council Scholarship Fund. Supporters include:

  • Anna-Karin Karlsson
  • Bella Eye Care Optometry
  • CooperVision
  • DeRigo REM
  • Europa Eyewear
  • Eschenbach Optik
  • EssilorLuxottica
  • Jobson
  • Luminance Vision Optometry
  • Luxury Optical Holdings
  • MODO Eyewear
  • MyEyeDr.
  • National Vision, Inc.
  • Optical Elegance
  • Opticians Association of America
  • The Vision of Hope Foundation
  • The Vision Council and RX

Additionally, the program has received generous donations from countless individuals in the industry and private practitioners.  

2022 Scholarship Recipients

  • Diya Folia, New York City College of Technology
  • Aaron Nyambe, Middlesex Community College

“It is my pleasure to inform you that this Summer I completed my two-year program for an associate diploma in Ophthalmic Design and dispensing at Middlesex Community College. My gratitude goes to each and every one who supported the scholarship program. With your help and hard work, you made it possible for me to graduate. Now I am just waiting and preparing to sit for the NCLE and licensing exam. At the moment, I am doing the internship program with National Vision under America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses in New London, CT. The experience is going beyond my expectance, I work with a great team and feel welcome. I hope and pray that this program will open more doors to those who had received and the next recipients of The Vision Council’s Open Your Eyes Scholarship Fund. Receiving the Open Your Eyes Scholarship is something that will forever be in my heart as a reminder to do good to others as we make a difference in people’s lives. Thank you so much.”

Aaron Nyambe

 

“I am honored to be one of the recipients of the Opening Your Eyes Scholarship by The Vision Council for the 2022-23 academic year. My name is Liliana, I am a mother of 3 beautiful children and I am also married to my beautiful wife. I decided to return back to school just to show my children that when they grow older, whatever they put their mind to it can be accomplished. My plans after Reynolds are to pursue my career as an Optician. The financial assistance that I am receiving will help me to be able to provide more for my children. I work full-time but a big chunk of my check from work is being taken due to paying for classes and because of this, I am not able to provide as much for my family and it’s been causing us stress financially. I currently work at Lens Crafters as an Eye Care Advisor. I Jove my position and that is what drove more interest into starting school once again and making it into a career choice. Thank you for giving me this opportunity through your scholarship support.”

Liliana