The Visionary Fall 2009

The Visionary – Fall 2009 • Page 27 Cheryl Baker (class of 2011) was selected as a recipient of the Eyecare Professional Scholarship Award sponsored by Walman Optical. Evan M. Brinton (class of 2010) was the recipient of the 2009 Dr. Norman E. Wallis Award for Excellence. This award was established to honor Dr. Wallis’ 25 years of outstanding service as executive director of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry and is given each year to the candidate who receives the highest score on the targeted or main Part I Applied Basic Science Examination. The award consists of a personalized plaque and a full refund of the Part I registration fee. Brinton was recognized for his outstanding accomplishment in June at the 2009 American Student Optometric Association conclave at Optometry’s Meeting in Washington, D.C. Lisa Cossetto (class of 2011) was selected as one of the optometric students in the United States to win the 2009 Transitions Students of Vision Scholarship Program sponsored by Transitions Optical. Her group’s entry was reviewed by a committee of eye care professionals and communication specialists who found her submission to be an excellent example of the “Understanding Healthy Sight” theme. Sarah Henney (class of 2010) was awarded the American Optometric Foundation 2009 Carl Zeiss Vision Fellowship. This award carries with it a $5,000 scholarship. Jenalyn Jotie (class of 2012) conducted a study evaluating the optical performance of silicone contact lenses in Professor Jiang’s Vision Science Lab. On her behalf, Dr. Janet Leasher accepted a BSK Student Research Grant at the June 2009 AOA conference in Washington, D.C. Jotie highly encourages every optometric student, including novices such as herself (she had no previous research experience as an undergraduate), to pursue research activities to broaden one’s learning beyond the classroom setting. She truly appreciates the mentoring she has received from Dr. Jiang and the Chinese visiting scholars from the EENT Hospital of Fudan University—Drs. Feng Xue and Ying Wu— who are currently investigating questions in myopia and accommodation. The Vision Science Lab is a collaborative environment where each individual researcher presents his or her work to the group to share ideas. Michael Rebarchik (class of 2010) was selected as a recipient of the Eyecare Professional Scholarship Award sponsored by Walman Optical. Seth Salima (class of 2012) was a second runner-up in The Fittest Person of the Year contest, which was presented by SobeFit Magazine . Over the past six months, 600 applicants were narrowed down to six final contestants. Salima is a men’s Junior Olympics gymnastics instructor who competed in gymnastics throughout his life. Prior to attending optometry school, Seth performed with Cirque de Soleil in Las Vegas. Winners will be featured on the cover of SobeFit Magazine’s November/December issue. Lethu Truong (class of 2010) was awarded the 2009 Vision Service Plan Scholarship. Ben Cook (class of 2013) and his wife were blessed with the arrival of an 8lb., 3oz. girl, Jasmine, on October 30. students’ pages Melody Bolanos (class of 2012), following completion of her first year of optometry school, married her high school sweetheart on May 23 after dating for eight years. Student News By N. Scott Gorman, O.D., M.S., Ed.D., FAAO Professor of Optometry and Director of Development, Alumni Relations, and Continuing Education