{"id":36965,"date":"2026-03-08T11:03:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/?p=36965"},"modified":"2026-03-08T11:11:24","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T16:11:24","slug":"from-classroom-to-clinic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/?p=36965","title":{"rendered":"Graduates Earn Doctor of Optometry"},"content":{"rendered":"

Building a Legacy, Making a Difference<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"Josh<\/strong> and Nathan Stefan<\/strong> never set out to become doctors. In fact, when the twin brothers first walked into the Vision Care<\/a><\/span> lab at MCCC, their plans looked very different. Coming from a blue-collar background, they fully expected to enter the workforce right after high school, enrolling in one of MCCC\u2019s transportation programs such as Automotive Technology<\/a><\/span> or Power Equipment Technology<\/a><\/span>.<\/p>\n

But one visit changed everything.<\/p>\n

After stepping into the Vision Care lab, touring the space, and speaking with instructor Amanda Peshek<\/strong> and former student Andrew Youssef<\/strong>, the brothers discovered a path they had never considered \u2014 and one that immediately resonated with them. What began as curiosity quickly became commitment.<\/p>\n

In 2018, Josh and Nathan completed the MCCC Vision Care program and continued their education at the University of Akron, where both graduated with honors. They were then accepted into the highly competitive The Ohio State University School of Optometry, earning their Doctor of Optometry degrees in May 2025.<\/p>\n

Not content to stop there, both are now pursuing Fellowship status in the American Academy of Optometry \u2014 a distinction that reflects advanced expertise and dedication to lifelong learning.<\/p>\n

Today, the brothers are building successful careers in private practice. Nathan serves patients at Handel Vision Clinic in Fairlawn, while Josh practices at Dodd Vision in Akron\u2019s Ellet neighborhood. Yet despite the demands of launching their professional careers, one priority remains clear: giving back to the place where their journey began.<\/p>\n

When MCCC\u2019s Bright Eyedeas Vision Clinic<\/a><\/strong> needed support following the departure of Dr. Timothy Earley after 15 years of service, the answer from the Stefan brothers was immediate and enthusiastic. Driven by a desire to mentor the next generation of Vision Care professionals and to provide high-quality vision services to community members in need, both doctors now volunteer their time at the quarterly clinic. The doctors see approximately ten patients per session, while also serving as mentors and role models for current Vision Care students.<\/p>\n

Their story is one of transformation \u2014 from students exploring options to doctors shaping futures. Through hard work, ambition, and a deep commitment to service, Dr. Josh Stefan and Dr. Nathan Stefan exemplify the very best of MCCC\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

They are building a legacy \u2014 and making a meaningful difference just a few short years after walking the halls as students.<\/p>\n

Contributed by: Kerrin McGill, District Marketing Administrative Assistant<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Building a Legacy, Making a Difference Josh and Nathan Stefan […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36969,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"Tribe__Tickets__Commerce__PayPal__Main","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36965","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hs"],"ticketed":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36965","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36965"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36965\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36975,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36965\/revisions\/36975"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/36969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36965"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36965"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcjvs.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36965"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}