NSUCO - The Visionary Spring 2012

THE V ISIONARY • S PRING 2012 — 8 SGA The Student Government Association (SGA) has been keeping very busy this school year. We had a very successful fall semester and are hoping for the same during the winter semester. One of our proudest moments was introducing the inaugural SGA charity event: the Exo Factor, which is a tal- ent show by optometry students that was held at the Flight Deck at the University Center. We were able to raise $591, with all proceeds going to The Lighthouse of Broward—a nonprofit organization providing services for the visually impaired. For Valentine’s Day, we brought back our middle school memories by doing a “Data-Match.” This was a chance for students to be matched up with their ideal friends within the optometry program. Our biggest event of the year will be the EyeBall, which will take place at Exit 66 in Fort Lauderdale and feature the theme “Under the SEE.” – OD3 George Hanna, SGA president Class of 2013 The OD3 year has been quite the experience for the class of 2013. With two semesters down and national boards approaching quickly, many members of our class have managed to further their experience beyond the class- room and study rooms. OD3 Lindsey Cohen-Vernillo has been chosen as this year’s NSUCO finalist for the InfantSEE ® Scholarship Grant, sponsored by Vision West, Inc. Her essay on how she, as a primary health care provider, will use her profes- sional skills and patient treatment programs to further the goals of the In- fantSEE ® program in future practice, stood out among many applicants as worthy to represent our university. OD3 George Hanna has been busy as usual. In between studying hard and helping plan this year’s EyeBall with his talented SGA team, he nabbed the top spot in the Dr. Seymour Galina Grant Runnings. Hanna’s essay addresses qualities he has developed through his financial planning/work experience during and/or before optometry school that he believes will be most useful to him in a professional optometric practice. His work earned him the right to represent Nova Southeastern University in this year’s selection process. Our class also showcased interest in this year’s SECO International confer- ence, which took place February 29-March 4 in Atlanta, Georgia. SECO In- ternational is a conference deeply rooted in furthering education and presenting new information to the field of optometry. Case reports are pre- sented through the use of PowerPoint as a means of integrating education and technology. Each year, hundreds of abstracts are submitted, with only 100 of the top submissions being chosen for display over the five-day event. OD3 Lina Arango’s report on “Atypical Presentation of Posterior Staphy- loma” earned her a featured spot. OD3 Victoria Trieu and OD3 Blake Hutto also nabbed presenter slots with their report on “Unilateral Sectoral Iris and Choroid Heterochromia.” The aforementioned students collaborated on their projects with Alexandra Espejo, O.D., director of externships. SECO International has furthered its efforts to expand student involvement by assembling its first Student Advisory Committee for the 2012 meeting. OD3 David Chao and Hutto were chosen to represent NSUCO on this panel of student leaders. Although classes and clinic absorb much of our time, the class of 2013 still goes above and beyond to meet the call of the profession. I see our class as a great representation of what Nova Southeastern University College of Op- tometry is supposed to look like. – OD3 Blake Hutto, class of 2013 president . Class of 2014 The class of 2014 has been involved with many different activities and fund- raisers that have brought this diverse group of students together as one family. To raise money for our class, we sold class T-shirts as well as sweaters and coordinated a Valentine’s Day fundraiser where we baked desserts and sold them to HPD students. Many of the student leaders in the class of 2014 attended the AOA Confer- ence in Boston last summer as well as the FOSA Legislative Day in Talla- hassee. Currently, we are planning to have a class social as well as another fund-raiser at a local venue. Our class has many students from around the country that have come together to work hard and become one of the best groups of future O.D.s the College of Optometry has ever seen. – Morvarid Fallahzadeh, class of 2014 president Class of 2015 The class of 2015 has been adjusting to the NSUCO optometry program by supporting one another in our didactic classes through group studying and class reviews. Performing well in class isn’t where we stop. The students are extremely involved in the College of Optometry through its many stu- dent organizations such as NOPMA, NOSA, SVOSH, FOSA, and FCO, where they are growing in the understanding of the profession through commu- nity service and medical outreach trips. Many are involved in the executive boards as well. The class members have also given time in providing tours for the college during their lunchtime so they can show potential incoming students what the College of Optometry has to offer and why they should consider coming here. On the political front, the class had representation in Tallahassee during Legislative Day, which gave us the chance to support Florida optometry and try to help get the regulations on oral drug prescriptions changed. In addition, it provided us an opportunity to witness what goes on in the state capital when these new bills are proposed. Students unable to attend Leg- islative Day were involved in sending thank you letters to all the Florida sen- ators for supporting the optometry profession in this specific bill. The 2015 class has coordinated various fund-raisers such as selling class shirts and holding bake sales. In the upcoming academic year, we will be offering anatomy reviews to other students. Additionally, we have devel- oped different intermural teams in soccer, basketball, and hockey, while many students have been involved in marathons and community service such as neutralizing glasses for medical outreach trips and participating in a local VisionWalk. – Nathalie Anglade, class of 2015 president NSUCO Students Maintain Active Itineraries