Mason Martin.
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—VSP Vision, in collaboration with the Student Optometric Leadership Network (SOLN), today announced that Mason Martin, a student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry, is the winner of the 2026 Propel Student Business Challenge Scholarship, powered by PECAA. Martin, who was awarded the $10,000 scholarship and a travel grant to attend the SOLN conference in Denver, is the first first-year student at the school to receive this honor, the announcement said. VSP said his standout submission featured a thoughtful, patient-centered private practice business plan.
“We’re committed to supporting the next generation of optometrists on their path to private practice, and the Propel Student Business Challenge Scholarship is one of the ways we help bring that to life,” said Michelle Skinner, chief provider solutions officer at VSP Vision. “Mason’s exceptional business plan really set him apart and we congratulate him on this well-deserved award.”
“This experience challenged me to think more intentionally about the future of private practice and reinforced the importance of keeping patient-centered care at the heart of everything we do,” said Martin. “I’m incredibly honored to receive the Propel Student Business Challenge Scholarship and grateful to VSP Vision, PECAA, and the Student Optometric Leadership Network for this opportunity.”
The runners up, Danaka Howard Batek from Pacific University College of Optometry and Sarah Mitchell from the University of Houston College of Optometry, each received a $5,000 scholarship and travel grants to the SOLN conference.
To date, VSP Vision said it has provided more than $4.3 million in scholarships to optometry students. To learn more about scholarship opportunities, click here.
