The Brothers Remembered, Brothers Honored (BRBH) committee, in conjunction with the Alpha Sigma Foundation, presents this update on the BRBH Graduate Scholarship fund, based on the end of the past calendar year.
We recorded $140,282 of donations for the calendar year from January 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, with a total of 79 donors. This included $119,127 donated from July 1, 2025, to December 31, 2025, with numerous donations during the 2-for-1 match period in the fall. Very impressive! Thanks to all who donated and especially to a few major donors and several new ones!
Our final balance at December 31, 2025, was $573,000. BAM! Our goal was to reach to 500K, but we more than exceeded our goal. We killed it! Many thanks to everyone.
This year, the BRBH committee had to say goodbye to past undergraduate committee representatives, including JT Tygart, who graduated, and Cam Dinkenor, who has been studying abroad. However, we have had the pleasure of welcoming new #1 Joss Gowar to the BRBH committee and appreciate his contributions already.
The committee met on May 13 to discuss nine applicants for consideration for a new scholarship: several more than any year before. We have one continuing scholarship from last year (Nolan Gingrich ’23; see progress report here) and one new scholarship to award this year (Scott Grant ’21; see news feature on this web site). Learn more about the BRBH committee and the scholarship here.
YITB,
The BRBH Committee
Progress Report of Nolan Gingrich ’23,
BRBH Recipient in 2025
During his second year at New England College of Optometry in Boston, Nolan Gingrich continued to make outstanding academic and professional progress. Scholarship support was used to offset increased tuition costs and to purchase a specialty contact-lens fitting kit required for his training. Nolan completed 45.25 credit hours across the summer, fall, and spring semesters while maintaining an exceptional cumulative GPA of 3.933.
His coursework included advanced studies in biochemistry, immunology, pharmacology, ocular disease, contact lenses, binocular vision, neural basis of vision, clinical medicine, and patient care. A major focus of the year was mastering the comprehensive eye examination process, particularly retinal evaluation techniques. Through extensive laboratory training, Nolan developed proficiency in binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy and optic nerve head assessment, gaining valuable hands-on experience in clinical skills essential for optometric practice.
In addition to classroom and laboratory work, Nolan began direct patient care through weekly clinical assignments at the South Boston Community Health Center. Under faculty supervision, he evaluated approximately 30 patients, strengthening his diagnostic abilities, clinical confidence, and professional judgment. Looking ahead, he anticipates further growth through expanded summer clinical rotations. Overall, this year represented an important transition from classroom learning to patient-centered care and marked significant advancement toward his goal of becoming a skilled practicing optometrist.