Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship

ATTENTION THIRD YEAR STUDENTS!

One of the earliest endowed gifts to Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation was a scholarship fund established through a bequest from the late Seymour Galina, O.D., long-time AOA member. The Foundation manages the endowment by investing the original gift and then using the earnings to fund the Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship Grant in perpetuity.  

Dr. Galina and his family continue to be remembered for his generous love of the profession through this $2,500 scholarship, which will be awarded to one optometry student who has successfully completed the following criteria and whose paper is judged to be the best essay submitted to Optometry Cares – The AOA Foundation.

In addition, a new $1,000 second-place scholarship supported by the AOA Foundation will be awarded to the student submitting the second-highest rated essay.

To be eligible for the Dr. Seymour Galina Scholarship, a student must:

• Be a third-year student member (class of 2028) in good standing in the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) and the AOA;
• Be a student in good academic standing;
• Submit a paper, written in English, not to exceed 1,500 words on the following topic:
  • Qualities I have developed through my financial planning/work experience during and/or before optometry school, that I believe will be most useful to me in a professional optometric practice.

Deadline to Apply: November 2, 2026!

Click Here to Apply