Eying the future: New school program seeks to fuel student interest in optometry
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Latinos en Optometry has partnered with Transitions Optical to launch ”Eying the Future,” a free in-school educational program specifically designed to inspire middle and high school students in Latino communities to consider a career in optometry.
A majority of students are interested in careers in science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM), but students, parents, and teachers say schools are not doing a good job preparing students to pursue careers in those fields. One in three (33%) students said their school is doing a “poor job” of preparing them for a future career in STEM, according to a 2023 nationally representative survey of 2,006 12- to 26-year-olds.1 And nearly all teachers surveyed (95 percent) agree it is their job to prepare students for their future careers, yet 37 percent believe they are not preparing them for those jobs.1
Public schools with high Black and Latino student enrollments offered fewer math, science and computer science courses than schools with low enrollments of those racial groups, according to a recent report released by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights.2
“Latino students are often not adequately prepared for STEM careers due to a combination of factors including limited exposure to STEM subjects in K-12 education, lack of access to quality STEM courses, fewer role models in STEM fields, socioeconomic disadvantages, and sometimes language barriers, leading to underrepresentation in STEM fields compared to their peers,” says Diana Canto-Sims, co-founder of Latinos en Optometry, a non-profit association that seeks to gain a broader representation of Latinos within the optometry and larger eye care professional community. “Many Hispanic children aren't even aware of the possibilities that exist within the STEM fields.”
Working with Young Minds Inspired (YMI), a leading provider of free educational outreach programs for learners of all ages, “Eying the Future” will target over 10,000 teachers at high school, junior high/middle schools in 13 top markets around the country with high Hispanic concentration.Teachers are provided with materials and easy-to-implement activities to stimulate discussion among students about eye care and career opportunities in optometry. The program also showcases several optometrists talking about their specialty and includes English and Spanish language letters about the program for students to share with their parents.
Hispanic workers are underrepresented across all STEM job types, including health-related jobs.According to a Pew Research Center report from April 2021, Hispanic people make up 17% of the total workforce, but only 8% of workers in the STEM field. Comparatively, white workers make up 63% of the overall workforce and 67% of STEM workers.3 STEM occupations are projected to grow by almost 11 percent by 2031, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.4
By 2040, one of every four Americans will be of Latin-American culture according to U.S. Census Bureau projections.5 Yet, currently, only 5.2% of U.S. optometrists are Latino according to research from the career resource site Zippia.6
“By creating programs that incorporate culturally relevant education along with more exposure to STEM careers we can help educators reach Hispanic students and other underrepresented populations early on tostimulate their interest in Optometry,” notes Arlene Barringer, senior marketing manager at Transitions Optical.
“There is an ever-increasing need for more Latino and Spanish-speaking Doctors of Optometry,” says Canto-Sims. “Our goal is to build a stronger, more diverse optometry workforce to better serve the Latino population.”
"Eying the Future" is a free program available to all educators at public, private, and parochial school in the United States and Canada. Optometrists and other healthcare professions interested in the program can view and download materials here.
References
Majority of Gen Z Interested in STEM, but Schools Struggle to Provide Adequate Support. Walton Family Foundation. Published December 5, 2023. Accessed November 14, 2024. https://www.waltonfamilyfoundation.org/about-us/newsroom/majority-of-gen-z-interested-in-stem-but-schools-struggle-to-provide-adequate-support
Black and Latino access to certain STEM courses still inequitable. Accessed November 24, 2024. https://www.k12dive.com/news/black-latino-access-stem-courses-civil-rights-data-collection/716794/
STEM Jobs See Uneven Progress in Increasing Gender, Racial and Ethnic Diversity, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2021/04/01/stem-jobs-see-uneven-progress-in-increasing-gender-racial-and-ethnic-diversity/, Accessed 11/14/24
STEM Day: Explore Growing Careers, U.S. Department of Labor Blog, https://blog.dol.gov/2022/11/04/stem-day-explore-growing-careers, Accessed 11/14/24
Connecting Across Cultures: How to Reach Out to Hispanics, Review of Optometry,https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/connecting-across-cultures-how-to-reach-out-to-hispanics). Accessed 11/8/23
Optometrist Demographics and Statistics in the US, https://www.zippia.com/optometrist-jobs/demographics/ Accessed November 8, 2023
