TRANSITIONS OPTICAL AWARDS $10,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS TO OPTOMETRY AND OPTICIANRY STUDENTS
Eighteen Winning Entries Promote an Understanding of Healthy Sight
PINELLAS PARK, Fla., May 21, 2009 – Transitions Optical, Inc. has recently awarded opticianry and optometry students with 18 scholarships totaling $10,000 through its Transitions® Healthy Sight for Life Fund. In its third year, the newly revamped program – the Transitions Students of Vision Scholarship – saw an influx of entries that ran the gamete from educational music videos, posters and calendars.

Students were asked to develop projects that demonstrate an understanding of healthy sight in any format. Whether exploring their role in patient care or expanding upon Healthy Sight Counseling, limitless creativity was encouraged. Scholarship amounts for both opticianry and optometry programs were: $1,000 for first place; $750 for second place; $500 for all other winners.

“We were pleased to see another round of creative and insightful projects from these students of vision,” said Carole Bratteig, professional education manager, Transitions. “Awarding the participants is a great joy, as we continually look for ways to support the future of our industry – most importantly through education.”

Scholarship Recipients
Submissions were reviewed by a committee of Transitions representatives, eyecare professionals and communications specialists who selected the following 18 winning entries:

Winning Opticianry Entries

First place: Ellen Gelsen, Hillsborough Community College – Collage, The Optician's Role in Healthy Sight Counseling Throughout a Lifetime

Second place: Jelena Cakic, Cuyahoga Community College – PowerPoint presentation, Healthy Sight Counseling

Third place: Kate Jacobs, Camden County College – YouTube video, HYPERLINK "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aufJLdVewNc" Eyes and Computers

Fourth place: Abdallah Yeslam, Raritan Valley Community College – Poster, There’s More to an Eye Exam than Vision Correction

Fifth place: Carole LoVerso, Erie Community College – Bilingual Power Point presentation, Healthy Sight Counseling

Additional winners: Kelly Garcia, Middlesex Community College; Samantha Marino, Cuyahoga Community College; Sonya Ramkishun, Broward College; Selah Brown, New York City Technical College

The top five opticianry students will also receive a trip to the ABO-NCLE National Education Conference in Cincinnati in September, to present a summary of the projects at the posters session.
Winning Optometry Entries

First place: Julia Tran, Southern California College of Optometry – Tutorial CD, Healthy Sight Counseling

Second place: Bridget Ducote, University of Houston College of Optometry – Calendar, Healthy Eyes

Honorable mention: Lisa Cossetto, Suhaib Al-Janabi, Kevin Nehaul, Judy Posner, Elliot Snyder, Nova Southeastern University College of Optometry – Music video, UV 101: Your Future is Bright, Protect Your Sight!

Additional winners: Aaron Severson, University of California Berkeley School of Optometry; Aaron McNulty, Indiana University School of Optometry; Tara Vacharkulksemuk, Southern California College of Optometry; Pei-Chen Hsieh, University of California Berkeley School of Optometry; Monica Roy, Ohio State University College of Optometry; Renee Newman, University of Missouri-St. Louis College of Optometry; Jaclyn Benzoni, State University of New York College of Optometry

Winning students will also have their entries featured on the recently redesigned Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund Web site, www.HealthySightforLife.org.