Katie's optometry experience
Coming from a small town, Katie has found an inclusive and supportive environment as a student at Ohio State Optometry. She looks forward to using her new leadership skills to create strong, long-lasting community relationships and reinvest in the Appalachian region as an optometrist.
Katie - Ohio State Optometry Student
Video Transcript
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Katie: I definitely have found my place at Ohio State that I feel included, and coming from a small town that can be a really intimidating thing.
So, I think that, you know, being at Ohio State Optometry, you find classmates who you connect with, you find faculty that make you feel supported and loved.
I think the most surprising thing for me was that in your first year you actually have a class with the dean of the college.
It's an opportunity to meet with someone who is such an influential person in Optometry, and in your education and, she gets to know you on a personal level.
I think Optometry provides a really unique opportunity that you get to provide essential healthcare for individuals, while also building long-lasting relationships with them that you will get to continue throughout their lifetime. And not only do you know that one person, you usually know their families, their friends, and you really get to get invested in a community as you grow as an optometrist. At Ohio State I'm actually involved in the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship Program, which gives me the opportunity to reinvest in the Appalachian region.
I'm class president; it's been a really unique opportunity for me. I really got into this role because it's kind of, in my mind, a liaison between classmates and professors, and I think it's really important to provide a really strong communication between the students and the professors.
And I think Ohio State really values that as well, so I spend a lot of time communicating with professors, whether that's on scheduling or concerns of the class, and they spent a lot of time working with me to make sure that everyone feels heard and everyone feels like they're seen.
So, I think it's a really unique role because it's cultivating my growth as a leader while I'm in optometry school, and it's also allowing me to make sure that my classmates are having a really incredible experience, too.