Scholarship Program
Programs for 2011
- Young Ambassador Scholarship In Memory of Christopher Nordquist
- Fight for Sight Summer Student Research Fellowship
Previous Young Ambassador Scholarship Winners
Young Ambassador Scholarship In Memory of Christopher Nordquist
Through the years, his mother Andrea Nordquist has shared the story of their family’s loss and subsequent decision to donate Christopher’s corneas in hopes of increasing awareness of the good that eye donation can do. In this way, Christopher became one of The Eye-Bank’s first Young Ambassadors.
The Scholarship in his memory is intended to encourage young people to pursue learning and to help spread the message about the priceless gift almost anyone can leave after death – the gift of sight through eye donation.
Scholarship Criteria
To apply, students must meet all of the following requirements:- Reside within The Eye-Bank’s service area: New York City, Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, Duchess or Putnam Counties of New York State.
- Be a student under 25 years of age who will be, or is presently enrolled, in a 2 or 4-year college, university, trade or technical school for the current academic year at the time of application deadline.
- Complete the Scholarship Application and return it by June 1.
- Use the scholarship award for continuing education at an accredited university, college, trade or technical school certificate program.
- Write a short essay, 1-2 type written pages, doubled-spaced, describing an educational or public service initiative in which the student participated that promoted eye, organ and tissue donation such as distributing brochures or speaking to a class or club (eye information must be included).
- Applicants may contact The Eye-Bank in advance for project ideas and free materials.
- Provide two references from current school and a counselor’s report.
- Provide a current official transcript and/or acceptance letter from the college, university or trade/technical school the applicant plans to attend.
Application Deadline
Please submit the completed application and related materials post-marked by June 1 to:Mrs. Andrea Nordquist
The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration
120 Wall Street, New York, NY 10005
Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Young Ambassador Scholarship Winners
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2009
After a heart transplant that gave Jessi-Ann Bettcher a second chance at life, the twenty-year old was determined to give back to society in some way. Through a local transplant group, Jessi-Ann shared her story and disseminated information about eye, organ and tissue donation at area high schools, health fairs and various church and community events. A student at Westchester Community College, Jessi-Ann realizes how her donor’s gift has changed her life and given her a bright future. She learned of The Eye-Bank’s Young Ambassador Scholarship though the transplant group and it was her tremendous effort to advance the cause of eye, organ and tissue donation that The Eye-Bank recognized in naming her its 2009 Scholarship Winner.2007
The Eye-Bank’s subway ad featuring Jerry Orbach caught the attention of School of Visual Arts film major, Ian Phillips, who had been working on a school assignment about blindness in New York City. Ian had had no prior information about corneal transplants and after visiting The Eye-Bank’s website, decided to shift the focus of his film to create awareness about eye donation, transplantation and the need for more donors. The result was a 20-minute documentary on the importance of eye donation titled From Darkness to Light. For the film, Ian conducted interviews on camera with Eye-Bank staff, donor family members and cornea transplant recipients in the Greater New York area. His decision to enter his documentary as a contender for the 2007 Young Ambassador Scholarship was a rewarding one because he was chosen as the winner. According to Ian, “My intention is to highlight the priceless gift each one of us can give.”2006
Seventeen year-old Eagle Scout, Andrew Perez, was motivated by the great need of people needing transplant surgeries. As a result, he initiated a campaign as part of his Eagle Scout project to ensure more people enrolled in the Donate Life Registry. Andrew enlisted the support of his church parish, arranged for recipients to share their personal transplant stories and publicized his project on the local radio station. This led to his great achievement of signing up over 300 people to the Donor Registry. The Scholarship committee was so impressed that he was declared winner of the first Young Ambassador Scholarship. Andrew understood the importance of signing up to be a donor and was able to ignite a passion for his vision in others that led to their taking appropriate action. A 2006 graduate of Eastchester High School in Westchester County, Andrew currently attends SUNY, Binghamton.The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration and Fight for Sight Summer Student Research Fellowship
Beginning in 2011, The Eye-Bank for Sight Restoration and Fight for Sight are co-sponsoring a Summer Student Research Fellowship. Annual grants of $2,100 will support fulltime research conducted from June to August. Applications will be reviewed by the Fight for Sight Scientific Review Committee, and a grantee will be selected based upon the committee’s recommendations to the boards of both organizations.Since 1996, Fight for Sight has supported and inspired eye and vision research by funding promising scientists early in their careers. FFS has granted over $20 million in research that has contributed directly or indirectly to major advances in ophthalmology and vision research.
The goal of this award is to advance the skills needed to initiate and carry out work in a scientific environment.
Scholarship Criteria
To apply, students must meet the following requirements:- Applicants must be currently enrolled undergraduates, medical students or graduate students studying in the United States who wish to explore ophthalmology or eye research as a career.
- Students are expected to complete a short, independent project during the summer months under the guidance of a senior scientist or clinician.
- Lab employees are not eligible for this fellowship.
- Applicants must adhere to application instructions.
Application Deadline
Please submit the online application by February 1.Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
All material submitted becomes the property of Fight for Sight.