AOA Foundation Announces 2026 Student Scholarship Winners

St. Louis, MO — The AOA Foundation is proud to announce the recipients of its 2026 student scholarships, including the inaugural Silhouette Scholarship award in partnership with The Silhouette Group. These scholarships recognize outstanding optometry students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership and dedication to advancing the profession.

Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship — Marliez Diaz Bravo
Marliez Diaz Bravo, a third-year student at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions College of Optometry, is the recipient of the 2026 Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship. One of the earliest endowed gifts to Optometry Cares—The AOA Foundation, the scholarship recognizes a third-year student whose essay highlights qualities developed through financial planning and/or work experience that will be valuable in professional practice.

“Receiving the Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship is deeply meaningful to me because it affirms the importance of service-driven optometry,” said Diaz Bravo. “Growing up in a community where access to eye care was limited, I saw firsthand how vision impacts education, opportunity, and quality of life. This scholarship reinforces my commitment to serving underserved populations and to using my training to help make vision care more accessible, equitable, and patient-centered.”

Silhouette Scholarship — Madelynn Ebersole
Madelynn Ebersole, a second-year student at University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, is the first recipient of the 2026 Silhouette Scholarship, which honors students who demonstrate a commitment to sustainability and environmentally responsible practices within eye care.

“I am passionate about this scholarship because sustainability and eye care are deeply interconnected,” said Ebersole. “As future optometrists, we have a responsibility to protect not only our patients’ vision, but also the environment that sustains it. Receiving this scholarship affirms my commitment to integrating environmentally responsible practices into patient care, education, and advocacy throughout my career.”

"At Silhouette, as an independent, family-owned company, we have been committed to supporting and developing young talent since our founding in 1964, which is why we’re proud to offer the Silhouette Scholarship program,” said Hartmut Kraft, President of Silhouette Group. “Throughout the selection process, Madelynn demonstrated exceptional promise and a clear commitment to the future of the optical industry. In partnership with the AOA Foundation, we are honored to support students like her across optometry schools in the United States and look forward to the impact she will make in our industry."

Through its scholarship programs, the AOA Foundation invests in the next generation of optometrists by supporting those who are poised to make meaningful contributions to the profession and the communities they serve. 

For more information about the AOA Foundation and its student scholarship programs, visit AOAFoundation.aoa.org. 

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About The AOA Foundation

The AOA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization working to empower the optometric profession in providing awareness and access to health and vision care for the public. To learn more, please visit aoafoundation.org.

About the American Optometric Association

The American Optometric Association (AOA) is the leading authority on and advocate for quality eye health care, representing more than 50,000 doctors of optometry, optometry students and optometric professionals. As the sole primary eye care provider in many communities across America, doctors of optometry are often a patient's first entry point into the health care system, and have extensive, ongoing training to examine, diagnose, treat, and manage disorders, diseases, and injuries that affect the eye and visual system. Through a nationwide public health initiative, AOA's Eye DeserveMore campaign is fostering awareness of the importance of eye health and vision care and the overall health benefits of in-person, comprehensive eye examinations with AOA doctors of optometry for all Americans.

About The Silhouette Group

The Silhouette Group was founded in 1964 by Annelise and Arnold Schmied and is the largest independent family-owned eyewear company in the world. Silhouette eyewear is available in over 100 countries, with all frames and lenses hand-crafted in Linz, Austria with a huge focus on sustainability. Silhouette is known for lightweight comfort, the perfect fit for each consumer, and long-lasting durability. Throughout the manufacturing process, they continually look for ways to reduce overall environmental impact.