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The following students achieved superior academic performance in the Spring 2018 quarter by earning a quarterly GPA of 3.50 or better and no grade below a B or H (honors) in all third- and fourth-year patient care courses: 2nd Year Bricker, Julie Caceres, Melissa Chaudhry, Aysha Chawla, Natasha Cordoba, Claire Crumbliss, Conner Deutsch, Dustin Fazio, Kimberly Hans, Navneet Henkel, Ashley Hinson, Benjamin Hulisz, Adam Jain, Smriti Jennings, Kelsey Kamil, Christie Kaur, Amandeep Kim, Grace Korsak, David Lancaster, Alyssa Lenhart, Kasey Li, Jasmine Michalicek, Benjamin Nichols, Olivia Norris, Abigail Okakpu, Valerie Patel, Alesha Prodan, Luiza Rancic, Jake Schaefer, Kalyn Siddiqui, Fareesa Skoog, William Skorseth, Claire Sykora, Kelsey Tran, Tam Tritsch, Erica Ward, Carley 3rd Year Ali, Ekram Beachnau, Alexandra Biskupiak, Angie Bultsma, Alicia Butala, Praksha Coleman, Katie DeRubeis, Jenna Djoum, Kelly Gibson, Kaitlyn Guo, Emily Han, Alice Hepner, Andrew Ho, Viginia Jakupovic, Amela Kuby, Nora Kunkel, Lauren Kyi, Lhamo Langel, Jordan Lazarz, Iwona Madro, Samantha Marshall, Elizabeth Mascarenhas, Brittany Masood, Sunya Mize, Jesse Motacek, Aaron Onallah, Sabreen Osowski, Julia Patel, Tanvi Pavletic, Gabriela Pourhosseini, Pedram Ralph, Angie Ridenour, Joseph Rohan, Amelia Runco, Julia Shaikh, Momina Sohbati, Negar Sostaric, Marina Stein, Rebecca Steinhauser, William Stevens, Kelsie Stubbs, Aidan Teixeira, Rae Vang, Muychi Vourvopoulos, Elena Wang, Helen Williams, Megan Yee, William Young, Kyle Zahm, Sarah 4th Year Beaver, Rees Berg, Gina Bilkhu, Amrit Boots, Calvin Boswick, Haley Braet, Alexandra Brown, Brittany Buisse, Cristelle Burns, Brianna Carbonaro, Nicole Cartwright, Amy Cerasuolo, Jullian Chu, Lillian Cornelius, Morgan Dhaliwal, Shaminder Domagola, Amanda Dudley, Cortney Fenske, Heidi Foster, Ashley Gerson, Amanda Goldberg, Jill Goodfellow, Madison Gregg, Greta Hainline, Lacey Hanlon, John Harris, Nicole Hart, Megan Hasken, Katelyn Issa, Rami Janczak, Carissa Jones, Minh Kasivisvanathan, Vasi Lee, Colin Luong, Theresa Mahon, Kendra McCarty, Steven Molln, Taylor Neuenfeldt, Luke Nguyen, Thanhan Nguyen, Vivian Patel, Jyoti Paulsen, Annika Perez, Synthia Pierce, Jessica Piette, Dylan Podpeskar, Nicholas Rafool, Jensen Rogers, Sarah Rowe, Alexa Sammak, Nazli Sandhu, Sandeep Schraufnagel, Abigail Sparschu, Lauren Starling, Claire Stemberger, Kayla Strang, Andrea Strzelecki, LeAnn Tang, Leannza Thomas, Katherine Tong, Christopher Tran, Nhung Velanthottukoottale, Wichman, Morgan Wong, Samantha Xiao, Elisa Yang, Kia Yau, Michael Zhen, Wendy Graduate Akpunku, Nicole Ayoub, Nasiem Baron, Briana Bassik, Randi Battaglia, Taylor Bedi, Manveen Brady, Brittney Chain, Pei Chi Conley, Nichole Corsiatti, Nicole Criscio, Evan Doherty, Taryn Dunphy, Erin Ellerkamp, Aleice Ethezaz, Mariam Fabisch, Megan Fraser, Louchlyn Gorz, Michael Groth, Benjamin Harris, Taylor Haugen, Trey Heisler, Melissa Hohs, Kathryn Holley, Kathryn Hopkins, Greigham Jansen, Samantha Javed, Faiza Kalkat, Puneet Karovic, Tatjana Kaur, Harleen Kent, Delaney Keopraseuth, Amy Koubek, Kyle Kwong, Iris Li, Diana Li, Lu Literski, Alexandra Littel, Matthew Lukey, Audrey Macagba, Gregory Mak, Suet Mei Mansaray, Marcella Meek, John Milbrandt, Melissa Miller, Shanna Morales, Brittney Muncy, Alexandra Naidu, Jason Nguyen, My-Chau Nisar, Sara Pacheco, Sarah Patel, Jay Patel, Manali Patel, Neil Patterson, Justin Peloquin, Christian Petitti, Luciana Pham, Lisa Poznic, Benjamin Pudjowargono, Andrew Pym, Christina Raies, Natalie Ramos, Nicole Roma, Maria Ruhland, Leah Sabiri, Fariha Sahota, Sheran Sathchakham, Jessica Schiber, Samantha Sherman, Zachary Singh, Kulvir Stoddard, Jenna Surti, Bianca Thandi, Inderpreet Thong, Salena Toor, Kamaldeep Uhlenhopp, Alex Vasilova, Liliya Vezinaw, Chloe Williamson, Martin Yoon, Lauren Zeeben, Brandon

The Illinois College of Optometry (ICO) Board of Trustees today announced the appointment of Dr. Mark Colip as the sixth president of the Illinois College of Optometry. Dr. Colip will succeed Dr. Arol Augsburger who retires after sixteen years as president. He will take office on August 6, 2018. This appointment marks the culmination of an extensive national search process that yielded a strong pool of talented candidates. As the President of the College, Dr. Colip will lead the efforts to advance the mission of ICO as it charts the course to its upcoming 150th Anniversary in 2022. Dr. Colip remarked, “I am humbled by the confidence that the ICO Board has placed in me and enthusiastic about the opportunity and challenges ahead as we continue to educate outstanding clinical optometrists. ICO has a long and prestigious reputation and history of leadership in the profession. We have an incredibly talented and dedicated faculty, staff and student body and I look forward to working with everyone to advance ICO’s mission.” Dr. Colip is a graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry and brings a wealth of experience in optometry and in higher education administration. Dr. Colip brings experience from private practice; from serving as a member of the faculty and ultimately as a part of the College’s Senior Administration for the past fifteen years. He has chaired the Admissions Committee since 1993; was appointed as the Vice President for Student Affairs in 2004 and took on an expanded role as the Vice President for Student, Alumni and College Development in 2009. In this position, Dr. Colip has worked to steward contributions and support surpassing the $4 million mark in 2012 and 2014. In addition to his work at ICO, Dr. Colip has been a volunteer consultant for the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE), serving as a site team member for professional accreditation of Doctor of Optometry education programs. He has also served with ASCO’s Student Affairs and Development Officer’s SIG groups and participated in international medical mission work. Dr. Karen Eng, Chairman of the ICO Board of Trustees, indicated that, “It was important to the Board to identify the most qualified candidate to lead ICO and continue the long-standing tradition of excellence in optometric education. We were not surprised when the best candidate was right here in Chicago and well-known to all Board members and the entire ICO community. Dr. Colip is well-known and highly respected for his integrity, work ethic and long tenure with increasing levels of responsibility along the way. We are delighted to welcome President Colip into his new role.” The ICO Board of Trustees has named Jeff Smith, OD, MBA to serve as interim president from July 1-August 5, 2018.

Join us in celebration of the ICO Class of 2018 as our students become Doctors of Optometry. This year’s Commencement is in a brand new location, so please read the below details carefully! When Saturday, May 19, 2018, 11 a.m. Guests with tickets may enter Symphony Center at approximately 10:00 a.m. in the order that they arrived. At approximately 10:45 a.m., guests without tickets will be allowed seating as it is available. Where Symphony Center 220 S. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60604 Parking Click HERE for information on garages surrounding the venue. For discounted parking, try apps like ParkWhiz or SpotHero on your smart phone. Speaker ICO President Dr. Arol Augsburger will serve as the Commencement speaker. A catalyst for progress and innovation in optometry, Dr. Augsburger has dedicated his work to improving the profession in academics, clinical expertise, and organization management for more than 40 years. We welcome Dr. Augsburger and look forward to his guidance and reflections on the profession of optometry as he begins his next chapter in life. Photography & Social Media A professional photographer will be capturing each graduate’s big moment on stage as s/he receives their diploma. ICO provides one portrait to each graduate at no cost. Due to a very strict fire code, family members are not permitted to walk forward (and block aisles) for photography. We’ll be posting Commencement news and pictures to ICO’s Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram. Just be sure to tag us and use hashtag #ICOClassof2018 to join the conversation! Questions Please contact Sharon Uher in the Student Affairs Office with any questions: 312.949.7405 or suher@ico.edu.

The following students achieved superior academic performance in the Winter 2017 quarter by earning a quarterly GPA of 3.50 or better and no grade below a B or H (honors) in all third- and fourth-year patient care courses: 1st Year Abusharekh, Samiha Caceres, Melissa Chawla, Natasha Cordoba, Claire Deutsch, Dustin Fazio, Kimberly Francis, Randi Jo Go, Jason Gonzalez, Salvador Hall, Allyson Hinson, Benjamin Hulisz, Adam Jain, Smriti Jennings, Kelsey Kaur, Amandeep Kim, Grace Lancaster, Alyssa Li, Brian Li, Jasmine Michalicek, Benjamin Nichols, Olivia Norris, Abigail Okakpu, Valerie Patel, Alesha Perez, Janette Rancic, Jake Siddiqui, Fareesa Skoog, William Skorseth, Claire Sykora, Kelsey Tritsch, Erica Ward, Carley 2nd Year Ali, Ekram Biskupiak, Angie Brown, Marisa Buckley, Brianna Bultsma, Alicia Burgess, Natalya Cwikla, Kathleen DeRubeis, Jenna Felger, Zachary Gill, Jasmin Grey, Elizabeth Guo, Emily Hepner, Andrew Hobi, Dana Kuby, Nora Kunkel, Lauren Kyi, Lhamo Langel, Jordan Lazarz, Iwona Madro, Samantha Marshall, Elizabeth Mize, Jesse Motacek, Aaron Osowski, Julia Pavletic, Gabriela Pourhosseini, Pedram Purewal, Avneet Ralph, Angie Rodriguez, Ismael Runco, Julia Sohbati, Negar Sostaric, Marina Stein, Rebecca Steinhauser, William Stevens, Kelsie Suriano, Joseph Teixeira, Rae Vang, Muychi Vourvopoulos, Elena Wang, Helen Zahm, Sarah 3rd Year Ashtiani-Zarandi, Jaa Babaei, Anseh Beaver, Rees Berg, Gina Boots, Calvin Boswick, Haley Braet, Alexandra Brar, Simran Brown, Brittany Buisse, Cristelle Burns, Brianna Cejka, Lauren Cerasuolo, Jullian Chu, Lillian Chung, Tristina Cornelius, Morgan Dhaliwal, Shaminder Domagola, Amanda Dudley, Cortney Durias, Griffin Fenske, Heidi Foster, Ashley Goodfellow, Madison Gregg, Greta Harris, Nicole Hart, Megan Hasken, Katelyn Janczak, Carissa Jones, Minh Kalas, Konstantina Kamachi, Kyle Kar, Deepon Leonard, Joshua Mahon, Kendra McCarty, Steven Molln, Taylor Nguyen, Thanhan Nguyen, Vivian Paulsen, Annika Pierce, Jessica Piette, Dylan Podpeskar, Nicholas Rafool, Jensen Rogers, Sarah Rowe, Alexa Schraufnagel, Abigail Snyder, Heather Sparschu, Lauren Starling, Claire Stemberger, Kayla Strang, Andrea Strzelecki, LeAnn Tang, Leannza Thomas, Katherine Thraya, Leyna Tong, Christopher Wichman, Morgan Wong, Samantha Xiao, Elisa 4th Year Akpunku, Nicole Ayoub, Nasiem Bassik, Randi Battaglia, Taylor Bedi, Manveen Betrus, Andrea Blakemore, Jennifer Brady, Brittney Brar, Ekjot Chee, Megan Chu, Victoria Conley, Nichole Corsiatti, Nicole Cozzone, Jacqueline Criscio, Evan Dunphy, Erin Ellerkamp, Aleice Ethezaz, Mariam Fabisch, Megan Harris, Taylor Henriksen, Mark Hiatt, Bradley Holley, Kathryn Hopkins, Greigham Jansen, Samantha Jian, Page Jomha, Mohammed Kalkat, Puneet Karovic, Tatjana Kaur, Harleen Keopraseuth, Amy Koubek, Kyle Ledford, Abigail Li, Diana Literski, Alexandra Lopez, Melissa Malone, Delia Mansaray, Marcella Meek, John Miller, Shanna Muncy, Alexandra Murray, Meghan Nadarajah, Vakishan Naidu, Jason Nguyen, My-Chau Pacheco, Sarah Patel, Manali Patel, Neil Patterson, Justin Phan, David Pierskalla, Justin Poznic, Benjamin Pym, Christina Rad, Carmen Raies, Daniel Raies, Natalie Ramos, Nicole Ruhland, Leah Sarrafi, Susan Sathchakham, Jessica Schiber, Samantha Sidhu, Ranjodh Singh, Kulvir Sonnenburg, Stephanie Stoddard, Jenna Takahashi, Kirie Tang, Christina Tariq, Saadia Thandi, Inderpreet Thong, Salena Toor, Kamaldeep Tran, Khanh-Ngoc Trinh, Cindy VanHouten, Kevin Walburg, Zachary Williamson, Martin Wong, Alicia Wong, Michael Wright, Justin Yee, Andrea Yoon, Lauren Zabaneh, Aida Zeeben, Brandon

Spring is on its way, and so is ICO’s Practice Opportunities Symposium. This annual event is an aspiring OD’s dream, with over 40 doctors, vendors, alumni, and optometry professionals ready to engage with students. These experts offer exclusive panels on the various modes of optometric practice. Once the presentations are complete, attendees enjoy networking, vendors, and of course, refreshments. The 21st Annual Practice Opportunities Symposium will take place on Friday, April 13, 2018, at 1 p.m. Attendance is mandatory for first, second, and third year students, but all are welcome. Please attend; there is SO much to learn! 2018’s panel topics include: • Introduction to Practice Management • Choosing Externship Rotations • Private Practice • Corporate Practice • Specialty/Non-Traditional Practice • Practice Management • Residency • Canadian Practitioners NEW THIS YEAR: The Practice Opportunities Symposium is going green! The 2018 program will be offered on an app (download information coming soon.) To ask questions of our panelists, offer feedback, or share photos, use hashtag #POS2018 on social media. For more information on being a sponsor or exhibitor please click the button below. The Sponsor and Exhibitor Registration is now closed.

At their 2018 symposium in Las Vegas, the Gas Permeable Lens Institute (GPLI) named Dr. Renee Reedertheir Practitioner of the Year. This honor was awarded “for outstanding professional expertise in fitting customized contact lenses to the benefit of corneal health, improved vision, and the advancement of the contact lens industry.” The GPLI is the educational arm of the Contact Lens Manufacturers’ Association (CLMA.) Dr. Reeder is the first-ever contact lens educator to receive the award. ICO collaborates with the GPLI to bring workshops to Dr. Reeder’s classrooms. Through these programs, ICO students work with specialty lens wearers and the practitioners who fit them. Says Dr. Reeder, “It is incredibly humbling to receive such an honor from an organization without which I could not do what I do.” Dr. Reeder did her first GPLI workshop as a resident in 1996. “Here I am over 20 years later being recognized by an organization who helped launch my career,” she says. “I am so very blessed.”

Join the Illinois College of Optometry in officially welcoming the Class of 2021 to their professional education on Saturday, August 26, 2017. Parent’s Orientation 9 a.m., ICO Lecture Center President’s Welcome/White Coat Ceremony 11 a.m., ICO Lecture Center Doors open for guests with tickets at 10:30 a.m. Parking Guests with tickets can park for free in the ICO parking garage depending upon availability. Entrance to the garage is on 32nd Street between Michigan and Indiana Avenues. You can enter the College directly from the garage. Guests parked on the street may enter ICO at the 3240 S Indiana Avenue. Disabled guests can be dropped off at this entrance. Photography An ICO photographer will be capturing photos of students during and after the event. These photos will be available to download for free on our Flickr page. Social Media Please use hashtag #ICOWhiteCoat when sharing photos from this eventful day. ICO will be posting live on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. #ParentsOrientation #WhiteCoat #IllinoisCollegeofOptometry #ICO #PresidentsWelcome #WhiteCoatceremony

The Illinois College of Optometry has installed a new Eidon Wide-Field Camera in the Illinois Eye Institute. The camera could become a permanent fixture in the clinic after a trial period. It offers a range of benefits over traditional fundus photography. Explains Dr. Michael Chaglasian, the Eidon Wide-Field Camera is an “excellent, easy to use” imager that can produce “quality images of small pupils through cataracts.” By bringing these innovations to our patients, we continue to offer the best possible vision care. #camera #cataracts #Eidon #illinoiseyeinstitute

The Illinois College of Optometry recently earned continued accreditation, following a comprehensive review by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. The accreditation process includes an institutional self-study, external review and site visit to assess the quality of education programs against predetermined standards. “The ICO community earned every bit of this accreditation. The process that the institution goes through is extensive and there is not a uniform result, said ICO president Arol Augsburger, OD. “We are beyond elation after reading the ACOE’s final report, which did not issue any required recommendations or suggestions for improvements to the program. This is indeed impressive and unprecedented in our institution’s history.” Leading up to the site visit, which took place April 24-26, the faculty, staff and students spent months evaluating ICO’s program. The ACOE validated the work ICO submitted by conducting interviews, reviewing records and files, and examining the facilities. The ACOE report indicated ICO met all eight standards of accreditation by which all professional optometric degree programs are measured. The standards cover eight major areas including curriculum, program management, qualified faculty, student services, facilities, and clinic policies. Dr. Stephanie Messner, Vice President and Dean for Academic Affairs, led the institution through the self-study. “The work that members of our student body, staff, faculty and administration do each and every day has been, and will continue to be, the secret to our success,” she said. “I am proud of our community and the positive outcome we achieved together.” As part of the study, Dr. Messner worked with staff, faculty and students across the institution to document how well ICO subscribes to its own missions, goals, objectives, and meets ACOE standards. ICO’s next comprehensive accreditation review is scheduled for 2025. #accreditation #ICO #IllinoisCollegeofOptometry

In a previous announcement, we shared that epi-off corneal cross-linking (KXL) would soon be offered in the Illinois Eye Institute. This non-invasive procedure benefits patients with conditions like keratoconus or ectasia. On Thursday, July 20, Dr. Osvaldo Lopez brought KXL to the IEI for the first time. Several ICO students, doctors, and technicians contributed to success of this inaugural procedure. “It went perfectly,” says Clinic Coordinator Debbie Crandall. The patient has had her post-op visit and is doing well. The experience left such an impression, in fact, that the patient intends to transfer the rest of her family’s care to the IEI. Says Dr. Jennifer Harthan, “The IEI is thrilled to be able to offer epi-off corneal cross-linking as a treatment option to patients who qualify. This will serve as not only a treatment option for current patients, but future patients as well. We strive to provide excellence in eye care and education; by providing KXL, we continue to do so.”

The following students earned a spot on the Dean’s List for the Spring quarter of the 2016-17 school year by achieving a quarterly GPA of 3.5 or better and earning no grade below a B or H (honors) in all third and fourth year patient care courses: 2nd Year Ali, Ekram Baiju, Blessy Bultsma, Alicia Butala, Praksha Cho, Elizabeth Coleman, Katie Cwikla, Kathleen Gill, Jasmin Grey, Elizabeth Hepner, Andrew Ketelaar, Kaitlyn Kuby, Nora Kunkel, Lauren Langel, Jordan Lazarz, Iwona Manke, Seth Marshall, Elizabeth Mize, Jesse Motacek, Aaron Osowski, Julia Patel, Arpit Pavletic, Gabriela Purewal, Avneet Ralph, Angie Rohan, Amelia Schmidt, Lucas Sostaric, Marina Steinhauser, William Teixeira, Rae Vourvopoulos, Elena Wang, Helen Worb, Andrew 3rd Year Beaver, Rees Berg, Gina Boots, Calvin Boswick, Haley Braet, Alexandra Burns, Brianna Carbonaro, Nicole Cerasuolo, Jullian Chu, Lillian Chung, Tristina Cornelius, Morgan Domagola, Amanda Durias, Griffin Fenske, Heidi Foster, Ashley Goodfellow, Madison Gregg, Greta Harris, Nicole Hasken, Katelyn Janczak, Carissa Jones, Minh Lewis, Celina Mahon, Kendra McCarty, Steven Nguyen, Thanhan Nguyen, Vivian Paulsen, Annika Pierce, Jessica Podpeskar, Nick Proud, Molly Rafool, Jensen Rogers, Sarah Rowe, Alexa Schraufnagel, Abigail Snyder, Heather Sparschu, Lauren Stemberger, Kayla Strang, Andrea Strzelecki, LeAnn Tang, Leannza Tong, Christopher Xiao, Elisa Zhen, Wendy 4th Year Akpunku, Nicole Annum, Maria Bassik, Randi Beasley, Courtney Bedi, Manveen Betrus, Andrea Brachmanski, Mark Brady, Brittney Brar, Ekjot Chain, Pei Chi Chan, Jessica Chee, Megan Chu, Victoria Corzo, Christian Dunphy, Erin Elias, Saly Ellerkamp, Aleice Goldberg, Jill Gorz, Michael Groth, Benjamin Harris, Taylor Heisler, Melissa Henriksen, Mark Hiatt, Bradley Hoang, Katie Hohs, Kathryn Holley, Kathryn Hopkins, Greigham Jansen, Samantha Javed, Faiza Kalkat, Puneet Karovic, Tatjana Kaur, Harleen Khan, Sadaf Kiani, Binesh Lau, Jenny Ledford, Abigail Li, Diana Li, Lu Li, Stephanie Literski, Alexandra Lukey, Audrey Macagba, Gregory Mak, Suet Mei Milbrandt, Melissa Miller, Shanna Nadarajah, Vakishan Naidu, Jason Nguyen, My-Chau Nisar, Sara Pacheco, Sarah Paragas, Melissa Patel, Manali Patel, Neil Peloquin, Christian Petitti, Luciana Phan, David Poznic, Benjamin Pym, Christina Raies, Natalie Ruhland, Leah Sarrafi, Susan Shao, Serena Sidhu, Ranjodh Sin, Victoria Stoddard, Jenna Surti, Bianca Thong, Salena Trinh, Cindy Uhlenhopp, Alex Vang, Ka Zoua VanHouten, Kevin Vasilova, Liliya Vezinaw, Chloe Weidner, Megan Wiss, Alexandria Wong, Alicia Wright, Justin Yee, Andrea Yoon, Lauren Zabaneh, Aida Zeeben, Brandon Graduate Ahmad, Hanin Alcesto, Margarette Alexopoulos, Denise Arneson, Gretchen Bandstra, Alaina Beluch, Aimee Berens, Ashley Blavat, Jamie Bouras, George Brandt, Alexandra Brenart, Robert Burton, Margaret Chahine, Ryan Chan, Sheila Choe, David Choo, Michelle Corbin, Stephanie Cowling, Jessica Dao, Trevor Daraban, Daniel Deng, Meng Enns, Kelly Esposito, Thomas Fang, Jane Fervaha, Manraj Fowles, Megan Fulton, Tyler Ghafoor, Atka Giraldo, Tatiana Gorski, Emily Haider, Amina Hanmer, Sarah Hasler, Rachel Heaslip, Allison Heer, Sonia Hemphill, Ashley Hok, Nicole Hui, Wing Yin Hutchins, Emily Ison, Steven Jhamb, Sameera Kaur, Harjot Khatoon, Sabah Kim, Bosung Klover, Kori Kolb, Carolyn Konwinski, Nicholas Kosowski, Marco Kroona, Katie Le, Holly Low, Michelle Lucas, Katelyn Lydon, Jennifer Marr, Kyle Masood, Soumaiya Mendez, Jaime Meyer, Megan Murata, Karlyn Pfeiffer, Kevin Phan, Ngoc Piper, Alexandra Poikey, Erika Reeves, Cassie Restivo, Frank Rodriguez, Javier Rosado, Ariel Sabry, Mariam Sandhu, Jeevan Seibert, Spencer Shabo, Eva Shah, Nikita Sheth, Rina Simon, Nicole Stammich, Jennifer Tafalla, Noreen Thurmes, Amanda Tran, Theresa Trieu, Brian Troyer, Erica Turan, Senija Vankawala, Divya Velasco, Monique Wang, Helen Waters, Anna Williams, Jenna Yoo, Hye Seon #DeansList #ICO #IllinoisCollegeofOptometry #Spring2017

Students, faculty, and staff from the Illinois College of Optometry traveled to Washington, D.C. for Optometry’s Meeting 2017. ICO participated in all aspects of the conference between June 20 and 24, from research presentations to an American Optometric Association rally on Capitol Hill. The weekend was full of wins for ICO. Students Aaron Nichols and Mohammed Johma won Second Place in the Walmart/Sam’s Club Project Foresight National Scholarship Competition. Their presentation, “Wishful Eyes,” earned the team $5,000. Perhaps the biggest ICO story out of Optometry’s Meeting was the Essilor Optometry Student Bowl. For the first time in 26 years, ICO took the Ventura Cup. Taylor Harris won the competition after a nail-biting finish. He explains, “The Final Jeopardy round was intense. One contestant had more points than me, but I wagered my points strategically and ended up on top!” The moment Harris defeated his rival, ICO students in zombie-themed attire flooded the stage to lift the champion off of his feet. Throughout the meeting, ICO had an exhibitor table as well as an Alumni and Friends reception. Informal groups got together to see the city’s famous attractions and monuments. Thank you the AOA and AOSA for a fantastic event. We look forward to 2018 in Denver, Colorado! For attendee-generated coverage from Optometry’s Meeting 2017, use hashtag #OM2017 on social media. Photo taken from AOA.org