Newsroom > People & Purpose > Scholarships > Visioning the Future Mentorship Program, Inspired by Dr. Marvin R. Poston, Celebrates 12 New Optometry Students
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Students participating in the Visioning the Future Mentorship Program representing eight Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) were recently recognized at a virtual ceremony for being accepted into schools of optometry. The group of 12 students were also awarded nearly $48,000 toward their education. Additionally, the program helps the students with long-term career planning, networking opportunities and other educational resources.
The students represent the third cohort of the Visioning the Future Mentorship Program launched in 2019 by the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Education and Development Foundation, the National Optometric Association (NOA), and VSP Vision to recognize students at HBCUs and foster their professional advancement in the field of optometry.
The 2022 Visioning the Future Mentorship Program Awardees
Joining other VSP Vision partnerships, including the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Leadership Award and Black EyeCare Perspective’s 13% Promise, the Visioning the Future Mentorship Program is intended to diversify the eye care industry and eliminate health disparities associated with a lack of representation.
Dr. Edwin C. Marshall, NOA Executive Liaison said, “The Visioning the Future Mentorship Program identifies, encourages, and supports students underrepresented in the profession to envision themselves as future optometrists. This partnership between the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Education and Development Foundation, VSP Vision and the NOA was a vision of the Poston family and represents a focused extension of NOA efforts dating back to the 1970s to increase the visibility of optometry as a career among students at HBCUs and attract them into the profession.”
Dr. Paula H. Boone, NOA Program Director said, “I have been fortunate to personally engage with these incredible future ODs who are focused on the mission of the NOA to advance the visual health of underserved populations. They understand the significance of minority representation and many plan to return to their hometown communities to practice.”
Jarrett Johnson, OD, MPH, and VSP Vision board member said, “I’m thrilled to see each of these exceptional students advance through the Visioning the Future Mentorship Program. Along with the Poston Family and the NOA, our unified goal is to support optometry by creating an inclusive and well-positioned next generation of optometrists, and these deserving students will play an active role in that progress.”
Dr. Marvin R. Poston, whose legacy inspired the program, was a trailblazer in the field of optometry. He became the first Black American admitted to the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry, the first Black optometrist to practice West of the Rockies and he would go on to co-found what is now VSP Vision. His commitment to optometry and community was recently celebrated among family, friends and mentees.
Marlene Bell, daughter of the late Dr. Marvin R. Poston, shares, “The Dr. Marvin R. Poston Education and Development Foundation and the Poston Family are more than enthusiastic about our partnership with VSP Vision and the National Optometric Association. Together, our work will support the diversity of optometry and consequently increase the number of African Americans in the profession. Visioning the Future continues the work of Dr. Poston who spent many years mentoring students and practitioners who followed in his footsteps.”
Learn more about VSP Vision’s ongoing commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusivity.
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About VSP Vision At VSP Vision, our purpose is to empower human potential through sight. As the first and only national not-for-profit vision benefits company, this is what drives everything we do. For more than 65 years, VSP has been the leader in health-focused vision care. Every day, the people who power our complementary businesses (VSP® Vision Care, Marchon® Eyewear, Inc., Visionworks®, Eyefinity®, Eyeconic®, VSP Optics, and VSP Ventures) work together to create a world where everyone can bring their best vision to life. That means providing affordable access to eye care and eyewear for more than 85 million members through a network of more than 41,000 doctors. And it means expanding access to vision care to those disadvantaged by income, distance, or disaster. Through VSP Eyes of Hope®, more than 3.6 million people in need have received no-cost eye care and eyewear. Learn more about how we’re reinvesting in greater vision, health, and opportunities for all at vspvision.com.
About Dr. Marvin R. Poston Education and Development Foundation The Dr. Marvin Poston OD, Education and Development Fund/Donor Advised Foundation is established to assist underrepresented groups of color wishing to become optometrists. The Foundation provides scholarship to African American students attending Historical Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) among other institutions of Higher Education in their efforts to attend and succeed at the colleges and universities of Optometry throughout the US.
About National Optometric Association/National Optometric Foundation The National Optometric Association (NOA) was founded in 1969 in Richmond, Virginia, as a not-for-profit corporation. The NOA has been a leader in the cause of improving the quality and accessibility of eye care in minority and other historically underserved communities. Our mission of “advancing the visual health of minority populations,” through recruitment of minority students into schools and colleges of optometry, providing scholarships, and mentoring is a shared priority and commitment with VSP Vision and the Dr. Marvin R. Poston Foundation. The development of the Visioning the Future Mentorship Program continues Dr. Poston’s legacy of helping the next generation of minority optometrists. The National Optometric Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the National Optometric Association. Its mission is to support all initiatives of the NOA regarding recruitment and retention of underrepresented optometry students. The NOF also supports long-term solutions to visual health problems among minority populations. More information about the NOA/NOF is available online at nationaloptometricassociation.com.