Defocus Podcast: The 13% Promise: Increasing racial diversity in optometry

Essence Johnson, OD, FAAO, grew up in Marino Valley, CA, and upon graduating high school she was recruited to attend the historically Black universities and colleges (HBUC) Prairie View A&M University in Texas. When she got the call from the dean offering her a full scholarship to attend despite the fact she hadn’t even applied, she knew from the conversation that this was an opportunity she could not miss. That decision led to her future journey to optometry as a profession.