March 28, 2025
On Thursday, March 27, 2025, the NECO community gathered for the 2025 Scholarship Ceremony. The award recipients were recognized for their notable leadership, scholarship, compassion, and clinical expertise.
Esther Bandoo-Gomes, Director of Financial Aid, directed the program, with special presentations by Dr. Walter Potaznick ’76, Dr. Clifford Scott ‘68, Dr. Amy Moy ’03, Dr. Kristin White ’13, NECO President and CEO Dr. Howard Purcell ’84, and Vice President Dr. Erik Weissberg ’97.
The scholarship recipient was selected by the President’s Leadership Team and must demonstrate exemplary academic standing at the time of the award, actively engaged in service to the NECO community, demonstrates commitment to social responsibility and display leadership qualities including; Communication skills, empathy, confidence, integrity, humility and optimism. This year’s recipients are Michelle Shang and Nyah Miranda. 
The Dr. Clifford and Mary Scott Scholarship was established in 2020 by the NECO Board of Trustees to recognize and honor five decades of distinguished institutional service by an accomplished and esteemed member of the NECO community. This endowed scholarship fund benefits exemplary students enrolled in the NECO Doctor of Optometry program who exhibit both academic excellence and extraordinary contributions to the NECO community and/or clinical system.
This award goes to a student enrolled in the 4-year program, who made a career change to Optometry and who demonstrates clinical excellence. The recipient was selected by the Titelbaum family.
Dr. John Steven White, OD (SUNY Optometry, Class of 1980) served his community of Paramus, NJ as a local optometrist for 40 years. Some of his most satisfying optometry experiences came through leading multiple international eye clinics from Mexico to Peru to China. These experiences were something he shared closely with his daughter, Kristin White, OD ’13 and son-in-law Kevin Cornwell, OD ’15 through their combined humanitarian efforts.
Dr. J. White was endlessly generous and took great pride in taking care of those he loved. He would be proud to know his legacy can go on to help future optometrists. This scholarship is offered by his loving family in his memory to a 4th year optometry student who has demonstrated a commitment to service, generosity and kindness in their future optometry career.
A gift from Dr. Kofos made this award possible. The fund serves as a vehicle to assist students of optometry at NECO and is awarded to those with demonstrated academic achievement and the potential for making a significant contribution to the optometric profession. This year’s recipients are Alexandra Baillie and Carissa Fleming.
This half-tuition scholarship is made possible by the generosity of the late Dr. Joseph and Judith Ann Feldberg and is offered to third or fourth year students with the highest GPAs. This year’s recipients are: Carly Davies, Rachel Harmon, Nancy Lay, Eleanor McGeary, and Kareem Saleh.
Michelle Shang was selected this year for this annual national award, sponsored by Alcon. Her winning essay, “Informed Consent in Declining Cognition: A Moral Dilemma from an Optometric Perspective” will be featured in the upcoming journal of Optometric Education.
Warren H. Beider, OD ’26, graduated when he was only twenty years old and practiced optometry for over fifty years. To honor his alma mater, he created this scholarship to honor academically strong students. This year’s award recipients are Jade Corpus-Sapida, Samir Islam, Emily Ketch, Joanna Liu, Kishan Patel, Grace Whalen, Jessi Wieck, and Shana Yun.
This scholarship is awarded to a student who has demonstrated academic achievement, and who is likely to be active in the profession and in the Alumni Association. Yaseen Morshid was selected because of his accomplishments and potential as a leader in the field.
This scholarship was created by the Heymans to honor the former NECO Business Manager’s fondness for the College. Mr. Heymans was a German immigrant who worked at the College in the late 1960’s as a part-time Business Manager. Brian Quach was chosen to receive this award as a student of high scholastic standing who exhibits integrity, dedication, and a high level of accuracy. This year’s recipients are: Michael Dubien, Balraj Malhi, and Michelle Shang.
This award was established by Dr. Joseph Molinari, and is given to an entering student based on academic achievement and leadership.
The Class of 1950 initiated this scholarship to honor Dr. Namias and his fifty year tenure at the College. The awardees were selected because of their outstanding academic performance. This year recipients included: Sayeh Ahadi, Kristen Andrews, Serena Beri, Anna Lauren Dorius, Danielle Geogevich, Madison Marche, Raymond Su, and Kelly Wilson.
The Pildes family created this scholarship in honor of their parents and awarded to a first year student in the four-year program. Nivedhya Cheruvari was chosen for her academic achievement and potential to become an active and concerned member of the alumni body of the College and the profession.
This award was endowed to honor the scholarly and professional achievement of Fredric and Marion Rosemore’s granddaughter, a 2001 graduate of the College. The recipient is a student who maintains a strong academic record. This year Erica Croft was chosen for her excellent academic accomplishments and outstanding service to the College’s peer tutoring program.
This American Optometric Foundation award is offered to a student who best demonstrates the ideal eye care standards of practice, has demonstrated achievements in academic performance and extracurricular activities, professional pursuits, patient involvement, community service, and volunteerism.
This scholarship was created to honor Major Charles Robert Soltes, OD ’98, the first optometrist ever killed in action while serving on active duty in the US military. This award was established by faculty, staff, and friends of the College in his memory to honor his loyalty, integrity and compassion for his patients.
Each year, the Alumni Association selects scholarship recipients based on record of service to the College and/or profession, and the potential for continued active participation in the alumni association, demonstrated community service, and academic performance. Representing the Alumni Scholarship Committee, Walter Potaznick OD ’76, presented the awards this year to Nivedhya Cheruvari, Kara Chuang, Katarina DaSilva, Anna Lauren Dorius, Carissa Fleming, Shelby Laitipaya, Michael Pizzuto, Michelle Shang, and Olivia Wynn. 
This scholarship was created to honor Dr. John Carter and his long, distinguished career in optometry and optometric education, including teaching Ocular Pharmacology, Ocular Myology, and Sensory and Motor Anomalies of the Eye and Vision. This year’s recipient, Xuan Cui was chosen for her excellent grades in all pharmacology coursework.
This award was created by Otto Hochstadt to assist worthy students in their pursuit of an optometric education at the College. Dr. Hochstadt emigrated from Vienna in 1939, where he was a trained cardiologist and brought this expertise in medical sciences as a faculty member at the College. He helped the college gain approval to grant a bachelor’s degree and subsequently, an OD degree. Yashvi Patel was chosen as this year’s recipient for her outstanding hard work and remarkable GPA.
The Klein Family Scholarship was originally supposed to honor the memory of Dr. Herman L. Klein, a descendant of the founder of the College and former president of the Board of Trustees. The name of the award was expanded to include the entire family because so many of its members were trustees, officers, faculty, or staff. Madison Thompson was selected as this year’s recipient to acknowledge her academic excellence prior to entering the College.
Dr. Lank was a registered nurse who made a career change and graduated from the College in 1987. Sadly, at a young age and only two years after graduating, she passed away after an accident. Her family funded the scholarship in her memory. The scholarship is awarded to Shailja Shailja and Dandan Wang.
This award is funded by a gift from Rose and Warren Gilford to honor the lives, distinguished professional achievement, and exemplary service of their friends, Dr. Levine and Dr. Mechanic, who were proud to be forerunners of women optometrists. The award is meant to celebrate talented and qualified women entering the profession. Valerie Nguyen was selected because of her excellent academic record as an entering student.
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