James Michael Morris Family Scholarship

How I plan on making a positive impact through opticianry. Moving to a new country at the age of 15 was a pivotal moment in my life. Born and raised in Brazil, I found myself navigating the complexities of a new culture and language when my family relocated to the United States. Despite these challenges, this experience fostered resilience, adaptability, and a deep appreciation for diverse perspectives. As I have been working as a Optometric Technician for the past five years, I have seen how hard it is for someone that doesn’t speak the language to go through a simple eye exam and most importantly not able to communicate with an optician. Now, as I pursue a career in opticianry, I am eager to leverage these qualities to make a meaningful and positive impact on my community. Opticianry is not merely about fitting glasses and lenses; it is about enhancing lives through improved vision. My journey has shown me the profound difference that clear vision can make. I recall the struggle my mother faced with her vision back in Brazil, where access to quality eye care was limited. Her difficulties ignited my passion for eye care, inspiring me to pursue a profession where I can directly contribute to improving people’s quality of life. Being bilingual in Portuguese, Spanish and English places me in a unique position to serve and connect with a broader community. Language barriers often prevent individuals from seeking necessary medical care, including eye care. By providing services in Portuguese, Spanish and English, I can ensure that the Portuguese/ Spanish-speaking population feels understood and comfortable, fostering a trusting environment. This inclusivity can lead to better health outcomes and a stronger sense of community. Moreover, my background instills in me a drive to address disparities in eye care access. In both Brazil and the United States, socioeconomic barriers can impede individuals from receiving necessary eye care. I plan to collaborate with local organizations to offer free or low-cost eye exams and glasses to underserved populations. By organizing community outreach programs, I can educate people about the importance of eye health and early detection of vision problems. Education and advocacy are also crucial aspects of my vision for making a positive impact. I aim to educate my patients about proper eye care and preventive measures to avoid long-term vision issues. Additionally, I intend to advocate for policies that promote better access to eye care services, regardless of their background or economic statues, can achieve optimal eye health. In conclusion, my journey from Brazil to the United States has shaped my aspirations and commitment to making a difference through opticianry. By leveraging my bilingual skills, addressing disparities in access, and emphasizing education and advocacy, I am dedicated to enhancing the lives of those I serve. Winning this scholarship will not only support my educational pursuits but also enable me to transform my vision of inclusive, accessible eye care into reality. Thank you James Michael Morris family for considering my application.

Once upon a time there was a kid who was pretty smart and did well in school, but she was clumsy and absolutely awful at sports -- she especially struggled to understand why people loved to watch baseball. One day that kid got some bright red glasses and unlocked an entirely new world -- she learned that people were supposed to be able to read the street signs long before they were right on top of them, she learned that the leaves on the trees are shaped the same way as the leaves that fell off the trees (trees aren't just a big green puff on a brown stick!), and she even learned how to catch a ball rather than just letting it hit her in the face. She also realized that there was action happening on the baseball field -- it wasn't just a bunch of people staring at the lawn all day. This was some pretty mind-blowing stuff for a seven-year-old! That smart kid decided that these red glasses were not so bad after all -- in fact, they might even contain magic. That kid went on to get even smarter and do a lot of things with her life as she grew up, but none of them ever felt "right". She often thought about the optician who set her up with those red glasses and wondered if that might be the right path for her, too -- but instead of finding out, she worked in a lot of other fields, doing jobs that made her feel useless and just didn't make sense to her. Then, when this kid was 31, she temporarily lost her vision. When she recovered, she decided she was finished with jobs that did not make a measurable impact. That kid was me. After years of floundering in dead-end jobs, I finally started my first optical job at 35 years old, and I was hooked. Those red glasses really were magic -- they made my entire life possible -- and I realized right away that being able to give someone else the gift of vision was the thing I wanted to do. I have been working in the field for nearly five years now, and although I haven't finished my education, I have already seen the positive impact that opticians can make. We can bend light. We can fix people's broken glasses. We can help them to navigate, to read, to learn. I know, from my own experience, that vision correction changes lives. I know, from working with my patients, that my work as an optician helps them to change their lives for the better. I know that what we do really does make a difference. I look forward to earning my degree, completing the steps to become licensed, and continuing to help people to see their world through a clearer lens.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a lady stuck at the frame board with a collection of frames in her hands. I went over to see if I could help her. She looked at me and simply asked me to help her feel pretty. This sweet woman had just finished chemotherapy and found herself allergic to all makeup, and wanted her glasses to give her “a little something.” On that day, I wanted nothing more than to positively impact the way she saw herself reflected back. In the last couple years I crossed over from perfect vision, to fumbling with readers and now accept my new need of progressive prescription glasses for most of the day. When it hit me that my vision was not going to get better but worse, it was a very humbling moment of accepting my limitations. I became empathetic to those who struggled with their visual acuity. I decided I had the ability to do something different for work, and needed to step forward. Shortly after, I applied for the cross-training position in our Optical Department and registered for school. For the last 8 months I have been working full time split in two departments, while being a student at Durham Tech. I currently drive 5 hours round trip on my day off to be in the classroom, while spending hours studying and learning on-line. Recently, I got the full-time position as a non-licensed Optician, expediting my hands-on training. I will continue my academic program for the next year and a half. I want my optical career to be defined by a compassion for others and utilizing my skill set. In each season of my work life I have done this in fields of teaching, volunteer work and in raising my own children. My past has given me the opportunity to serve young children through senior citizens both here and abroad. My empathy ignites my desire to help as I’ve found the most rewarding environments are the ones where kindness and humanity is shared. Currently, my positive impact as an Optician, is in the small moments I have at work, like the story shared in the beginning. Having many elderly customers at work, it is with privilege that I get to explain, fit and guide these patients. When they put on their new glasses and exclaim, “I can see!” it is that familiar child-like reaction that makes me smile. They have a new excitement for what is ahead again. The first significant impact that I will make is through Durham Tech’s program called “Project SIGHT” where we reach the underprivileged community by going to Durham’s public schools to test, fit and give a new pair of glasses to every child that needs one. Being a former teacher, this is such a near and dear service to my heart as limited learning is inevitable without the ability to see clearly. These are services I want to always give of my time with. Long term, I will keep following opportunities by staying curious, and learning and growing. Who knows if working with surgery patients, or assisting in the ocular training field might be my next addition to what I have started. The James Michael Morris Family Scholarship is more than financial help, it’s a direct deposit into me. A support system gives even greater momentum to be the very best of what I can be, and I want to make an even greater positive impact in the ophthalmic service field than what I am capable of doing today.

Top Gun was the name he gave himself while making his introduction. He was a native Pula of the Okavango Delta. He and his people were rich in comparison to the surrounding villages due to tourism dollars, yet I was amazed to find only huts and shacks, stores that only stocked a few necessities, and no one wore glasses. While escorting us on a hike, Top Gun excitedly called my name "Chris! Chris! Look!" He was standing upright and pointing to a scraggly bouquet of brown grass, dried twigs and orange dirt at his sparsely sandaled feet. I bent down to see and witnessed an iridescent skink winding through the foliage. "It's beautiful! How did you spot it from up there?" I asked. "I can see easily from here," he replied. "Those colors... and its scales are so smooth," I marveled. I bent closer. "You can see from that close, yeah?"  Top Gun asked. "Yeah, can't you?" "No, only up here is eyesight good." "Ever try wearing glasses?" I asked. The privilege I betrayed while posing that question was answered by a smirk and a slow head shake by Top Gun. I was embarrassed.  To the rich Pulas of the fertile Okavango Delta in Botswana, owning eyeglasses was a luxury out of reach. I went on that trip not to help anyone but myself. After almost a decade of working in the pharmacy industry, I needed something to reset my perspective. For years I went above and beyond behind the scenes to help people, knowing I was making a difference, even if anonymously. Face to face it was another story, as oftentimes we were blamed for the frustrations we could not ameliorate. I kept at it regardless, holding my good deeds as a badge of honor, but over time I became burnt out and I realized that this kind of martyrdom wasn't healthy. Meeting Top Gun, his people, and other tribes in Africa showed me just how myopic my little world became over time. It was a few years later when I became introduced to the world of Opticianry. I began working in Costco's pharmacy and I quickly noticed something: a group of employees who stood out - always happy, buoyant, full of energy and passion. They often made the people around them smile. They were popular. Then one day Mark sat next to me at lunch and struck up a conversation and I found out he was working in the optical department. I got to know him and a few other opticians and it was clear that they loved their jobs. I observed and shadowed them for a while to gain insight to their field and what I saw was astounding: people would come to them with all kinds of problems, and at that time the solutions would seem like magic. I didn't know anything about decentration, or prism, or segs, or pantoscopic tilt - yet with deft hands, collaborative problem solving, and didactic interactions, I witnessed people's faces light up, eyes fill with tears, and constant expressions of gratitude and joy. I remember seeing children try on their first pair and witnessing their amazement and I thought to myself "I need to be a part of this." Within a year they posted an ad for an unlicensed optician with the stipulation that they are willing to go to school. I jumped at the opportunity. I'm in my first year, but already I have trips lined up around the state to volunteer at Special Olympic events for eyeglasses, and a potential trip to Jamaica to help the needy there.

First and foremost: my life goal is to choose a career that creates an impact in the lives of others. I couldn’t think of a better gift than the gift of sight. I’ve been in the Optical field for about two years and lent a helping hand to Opticians in assisting a patient correct their vision. It’s always rewarding to hear a patient say “I can see better” or “that adjustment fixed my issue”. I’ve always connected personally as I have worn glasses since I was about seven years old and have seen how the field of glasses evolved from just something to help you see to a statement piece that you feel happy and comfortable in. I also want to help diversify a field that has had a giant lack of representation among all walks of life. Seeing a minority Optician may encourage the next to choose this field, or may help a minority patient feel more comfortable, and have them feel as if they’re in hands that they can connect to. I know this is a more cliche aspect, but it is still one that carries relevance and weight, especially at a time when we are looking for diversity and acceptance in every field possible to break down barriers and increase inclusivity. Sharing the same intentions as James, I have the hope of furthering my participation within my state society, and expanding the want for states to join the train of having licensed opticians. There are a number of benefits that come with having a more well-rounded optician, and the ability to travel to showcase that would be immense and impactful for the sake of the profession. My end goal is to either grow within my current company or ideally open my own Optical shop once I become licensed. I am also pursuing a Business Administration degree and that, coupled with my Ophthalmic Design and Dispensing degree, would increase my success in running a longstanding and impactful business that serves the people around me and fulfills my mission of being as impactful as possible. Winning a scholarship such as this will allow me to dedicate myself more to my studies, and takes off a substantial burden when it comes to the question of paying for school. A scholarship of this magnitude would cover most of my cost of attendance, and allows me to maintain a healthier school/work balance. This balance would allow me to avoid burnout, and dedicate more time to study for class and certificate exams (such as the ABO). It would be an honor to be considered for the James Michael Morris Family Scholarship. After sharing my intentions, and seeing similarities between myself and James, I feel as if I would be a great recipient of such a meaningful and generous scholarship. Thank you in advance for your consideration, Damar Britto

Name: Rajabu Esube (raja) 1/17/2023 MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT THROUGH MY CARRER AS AN OPHTHALMIC SUPPORT SERVICE PROFESSIONAL. I plan to make a positive impact through my career in opticianry in different ways. I was born and raised in a Refugee camp in Tanzania. I lived in the camp for 15 years then my family and I moved to the United States in 2018. Being in high school in the United States I never thought about becoming an optician or pursuing a career in opticianry until I talked to one of my friends who were already in college and so since I did not know what to do after I graduate high school I asked him about what he's studying for in college, he said "vision care technology" and so I went home and start doing some research about the program and I seemed to be interested in the program. I remembered in the camp my young brother had some eye problems when he was 6, my mom had to travel out with him to meet with an eye doctor for an eye exam, at that time there was not an eye doctor or anybody who practice an eye exam in the camp but where my mom and my brother went by the help of the health association in the camp they met with the doctor after 2 days of traveling by train from Kigoma(state) to Dar es Salaam(state), I thank God my brother got the treatment that he needed and so because of that I was more interested in studying about eye disease or refractive error and how to correct them. One day my youth pastor at church was telling us that they are planning to go on a medical mission field to Zambia and they had opticians among them going to make a difference in the lives of people who don't have much. when I heard that I was like... I would like to go with these guys on this trip but I couldn't because I did not have the time and money to go. Also, I did not know anything about eye care or how to correct vision. The vision that these opticians have is to go all over the world to be a blessing to those people who can't help themselves it is charity work and that was an inspiration to me, just to see how I can use what I have learned to love the unlovable by providing free eye exams and help them get their vision back. I'm looking forward to going with them on one of their trips and making a difference to people who have a scarcity of many things. For instance, in the refugee camp that I grow up in there are a lot of people who can not see but want to see but can't afford the treatment. The vision that I have in making a positive difference in opticianry is to open a charity vision store or center in Tanzania that will help those who can't afford treatment for their health problems, especially in rural villages. I have planned to make a positive impact in my career as an optician in different ways I have the desire to use what I'm learning to help others. But, all these goals that I have set before me might not be fulfilled if I do not have enough money to cover my tuition in college.

During my time in the optical field, it has become my passion. Giving the gift of sight every day is my most cherished opportunity. My optical journey began seven years ago when I was a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA). After my car accident, I was unable to be a CNA anymore but still wanted to work in the medical field helping my community. My mother had a friend who was the general manager of My Eye Lab. They need an ophthalmic technician. I decided to give it a try and fell in love. Getting my Optician’s License would allow me to extend my range to other communities. I hope one day to volunteer with Essilor Luxottica’s OneSight program or VSP’s Eyes of Hope. They send opticians, optometrists, ophthalmologists, and other volunteers to low-income areas either in the states or abroad. Being able to watch a small child or adult see the clouds and their parents’ faces for the first time is what gives me the most joy in life. My dream is to give affordable, accessible vision care to everyone. Being low-income or living in a rural area does not mean you aren’t allowed to see clearly. If an individual can clearly see what is right in front of them, everyday tasks become easier. They have more opportunities for a growing career in their chosen profession. Therefore, they can better provide for their families with a newfound confidence and clarity. With a routine eye exam, no matter where you are, your optometrist or ophthalmologist can detect serious or even fatal health issues the patient was unaware of. Traveling to low-income areas, where basic health care is not readily available, the eye exam gives more than just a pair of glasses. It helps to give a patient a general understanding of their overall health. It may be limited, but at least it can possibly detect a detached retina, diabetes, unknown cancer growing from within, etc. Another dream of mine is to teach. With all the knowledge and experience I want to accumulate with my license I want to give back to those around me. For new and upcoming opticians, I would love to share my experiences with them. Show them how to work a lensometer or adjust glasses. If a patient cannot see out of their new glasses, what can we do for them? Currently, I am the Optical Supervisor at VisionWorks in Orange Park, Florida. Seeing the excited new faces that join our team, it's my opportunity to educate them in the art of Opticianry. I also have recently joined the local chapter of the Orange Park Lion’s Club. Their motto is “We Serve”. That is what I want to do. I want to serve my community, and communities all around the world. With this scholarship, I can work full-time at VisionWorks while continuing my education at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) in Plant City, Florida. Once my license is achieved, I want to volunteer with OneSight and Eyes of Hope. I hope to take my education to new heights. I may end up teaching Opticianry full time. As a Licensed Dispensing Optician, the possibilities are endless. Thank you to the James Michael Morris Family and The Education Foundation in Ophthalmic Optics, Inc for considering me for this very prestigious scholarship.