Vondolee Delgado-Nixon ’91: Teaching beyond the test
Vondolee Delgado-Nixon ’91, professor of clinical practice and chief diversity officer at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, says she transitioned from simply memorizing information to truly understanding how to learn at Cornell.
Becoming a life-long learner has shaped her approach as an educator who inspires her students to embrace the same mindset. In 2024 she was honored as the National Optometric Association Educator of the Year.
“The faculty at Cornell was amazing, and what I learned really informs the way I teach today. Whether it’s the way I interact with my students, put my students first, or meet them where they are. I support them and teach them how to have a growth mindset,” Delgado-Nixon says.
This professor, originally from Santa Fe, New Mexico, says her journey to Ohio State wasn’t straightforward. The Cornell biology major opted to delay her medical school plans by taking a year off to do research, and that’s when her plans changed.
“Once I engaged in research, I started to think back to my experience isolating DNA in the lab with Professor Craig Tepper. I really enjoyed the privilege of working alongside him, being mentored by him, and making new findings with him. I decided that I would love a career teaching at a liberal arts school, which required me to shift my plans and get a Ph.D. My goal was to become a professor, and my dream was to return to Cornell someday as a faculty member. While that never happened, Cornell remains a large part of my success today.”
Embracing diversity and celebrating differences is a big part of Delgado-Nixon’s story. As the chief diversity officer and someone who identifies as Chicana and Native American, she prioritizes teaching topics related to healthcare equity in all of her classes. She also implements strategies and events to help students, faculty, and staff recognize and mitigate health disparities.
“I help our students create a culture where they feel like they belong,” she says. “For Hispanic Heritage Month, for example, we open our clinic to the Latine community here in Columbus and provide free eye exams and eyeglasses. My favorite event is the Winter Warm Up where we have a potluck and everybody brings something that reminds them of home.”
Delgado-Nixon is also making big strides for diversity on a larger scale in the field of optometry. In 2007 she started a camp called Improving Diversity and Optometric Careers for underrepresented undergraduate students interested in optometry. The national camp has had 150 participants—alumni who have matriculated into 16 different colleges of optometry nationwide.
Thinking about her current students and future Cornellians, she shares this advice: “It’s important that students celebrate and uphold their various backgrounds and lived experiences. The more interactions they have with others, the better they’re able to connect with others and the more innovative they are at problem-solving, which will make them more effective in their future jobs and relationships.”
She and her husband Greg Nixon ’91, associate dean of clinical services at The Ohio State University College of Optometry, have two sons. In addition to time with her family, she enjoys gardening, Flamenco dancing, and cooking dishes from around the world.
