VSP Vision News

VSP Vision News

Meet the Winner of the 2025 Premier Edge Student Business Challenge

VSP Vision™, in collaboration with the Association of Practice Management Educators and the Student Optometric Leadership Network (SOLN), proudly announces Midwestern University Arizona College of Optometry student Brooke Pratt as the winner of the 2025 VSP Premier Edge™ Student Business Challenge.  

Meet the Winner and Runners-up 

To enter, students submit a detailed business plan outlining their professional and personal path to private practice ownership. The top three finalists received travel grants to present their plans at the annual SOLN Conference, held June 4–7 in Houston:  

• Brooke was selected as the winner for her outstanding business plan, which demonstrated both thorough analysis and practical feasibility. She was awarded a $10,000 scholarship.
  
  
• The two runners-up, Harleen Dhaliwal, Midwestern University—Chicago College of Optometry, Class of 2027, and Daniel Spears, Southern College of Optometry, Class of 2027, were each awarded a $5,000 scholarship.   

About the Scholarship 

Launched in 2022, the Premier Edge Student Business Challenge supports optometry students with aspirations of private practice ownership. Eligible applicants must be active board members of a SOLN-affiliated Private Practice Club at one of the 24 participating optometry schools or colleges. 

This scholarship is one of many Premier Edge Career Support programs designed to give optometry students and doctors a competitive edge throughout their careers. 

To date, VSP has awarded $4 million to nearly 1,200 optometry students and will award 70 more scholarships in 2025. These scholarship investments are one of the many ways VSP is investing in delivering support, value, and stability for the profession every step of the way. Learn more about how VSP supports the future of optometry at vspproviderhub.com/scholarships