The Craig Hisaka Memorial Scholarship is an award given to a student who participated in the Business Management Immersion Program (BMIP) and has demonstrated exemplary leadership, vision, and passion in pursuing private business/practice ownership. This year’s recipient is second-year Doctor of Optometry (OD) student Alin Torosian, congratulations!
“Two dream careers may pose a lot of challenges at first – like optometry and business, especially since optometrists tend to be very independent. While being autonomous is a strength, developing relationships with other colleagues and staff members can contribute to a more fulfilling work experience. It is thanks to the mentorship by the phenomenal Dr. Ben Szu, made available by the Business Management Immersion Program (BMIP), that I have adopted a mindset to view pursuing private optometry practice ownership as a garden of opportunities.I mention the analogy of gardening because it is through Dr. Szu’s expertise that I was able to grasp the similarities between growing his impressive plant named Penelope and expanding Grant Optometric Group alongside Dr. Kevin Grant. Dr. Szu has instilled in me to be patient, persistent, and embrace the incremental growth. I am immensely grateful to the BMIP for a valuable opportunity to not only learn about Dr. Szu’s methods for strategic planning and financing, but to also be excited for the future of private practice.”
– Alin Torosian, Optometry Class of 2026
Thank you to VSP for their support of BMIP and the Dr. Craig Hisaka Memorial Scholarship!