Hassan Elhage and Sakshi Vasiu earn 2024 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence
New York, NY– The State University of New York announced two optometry students will be recognized with the 2024 Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence, SUNY’s highest honor. Hassan Elhage and Sakshi Vasiu will be presented with their awards on April 11 at the Albany Capital Center. The Chancellor’s Awards for Student Excellence (CASE) recognizes students for their outstanding achievements throughout their SUNY experience in areas including academics, leadership, campus involvement, community service, and the arts.
Hassan Elhage was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He attended New York University for his undergraduate studies and graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. He then pursued a Doctor of Optometry degree at SUNY Optometry as part of the Class of 2024. He is an active member of various student organizations, including the Beta Sigma Kappa (International Optometric Honor Society), the Muslim Optometric Student Association, and the National Optometric Student Association. He currently volunteers with New York Cares during his free time. Post-graduation, he plans to serve underserved communities in Brooklyn with a focus on primary eye care. “Receiving this award from the SUNY Chancellor is greatly appreciated as it means I have been recognized for my diligence and academic excellence throughout my four years at SUNY Optometry,” noted the Brooklyn native. “This award will inspire me to continue my upmost efforts in every professional and community role I partake in after graduation.”
Sakshi Vasiu is from Vestal, NY and obtained her bachelor’s in Human Biology, Health and Society from Cornell University. She is pursuing her OD/MS degrees at SUNY Optometry, where she serves as tutoring coordinator, president of the International Optometric Honor Society (Beta Sigma Kappa), and student bowl representative. “I am honored to be a recipient of the Chancellor’s Award for Student Excellence,” stated the proud Class of 2024 member. “My dad won the Chancellor’s award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities, so it is wholesome to have a matching medallion with him. And I am truly grateful for the support and education I have received at SUNY Optometry.” After graduation, Ms. Vasiu will be joining the Ocular Disease and Cornea/Contact Lenses residency program at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.
Every year since 1997, SUNY campus presidents establish a selection committee, which reviews the accomplishments of exemplary students. Nominees are then forwarded to the Chancellor’s Office for a second round of review. Finalists are then recommended to the Chancellor to become recipients of the award.
On campus, the students will be recognized as part of the annual Commencement Awards Program in May.
Contact: Rob Rosiello, communications@sunyopt.edu
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2024
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About SUNY Optometry
Founded in 1971 and located in New York City, the State University of New York College of Optometry is a leader in education, research, and patient care, offering the Doctor of Optometry degree as well as MS and Ph.D. degrees in vision science. The College conducts a robust program of basic, translational and clinical research and has 65 affiliated clinical training sites. SUNY Optometry is regionally accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools; its four-year professional degree program and residency programs are accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education of the American Optometric Association. All classrooms, research facilities, and the University Eye Center, which is one of the largest optometric outpatient facilities in the nation, are located on 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues in midtown Manhattan. To learn more about SUNY Optometry, visit www.sunyopt.edu.