CLASS OF 2018 13 Meredith Stallone From political advocacy to research, the OD/MS candidate aims to carry on the legacy of those who came before her. Meredith Stallone’s academic career has been filled with many triumphs, from her induction into Beta Sigma Kappa Honor Society to winning the Adolph and Ruth Schnurmacher Foundation and Charles and Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation Merit Scholarship for being at the top of her class. But it was her first day of working in the clinic that stands out as her proudest moment. “Towards the end of second year, my mom came to school to sit as my first patient in clinic. That felt like a proud moment for both of us,” says the dual Doctor of Optometry and Master of Vision Science candidate. “It was exciting to finally put into action everything I had worked hard to learn in the classroom and it was a way to honor my mom for her unending support throughout my years of school.” It was also a formative moment for the Sayville, New York-native, one that cemented her commitment to the field. A shadowing experience during her undergraduate tenure at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pushed her toward optometry. “I shadowed health care practitioners in a multitude of settings, but optometry seemed like the right fit for me,” she says. Stallone chose SUNY Optometry because of its stellar reputation and location. “My favorite part of the SUNY community is the camaraderie within my class. It has been a unique and special experience to go through the trials of a rigorous optometry school program with a small group of about 95 people,” she says. She is working on her master’s thesis with her advisor Dr. Tracy Nguyen. The paper is based on two of her abstracts that were accepted for publication, both of which explore dry eye inflammation. Kirsten Madeline Johnson The president of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity is excited about chipping away at preventable blindness. Even before Kirsten Madeline Johnson decided to attend SUNY Optometry, she knew that she wanted to work with Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (SVOSH). Now, as president of the organization—which helps bring eye care to people in developing countries— fourth-year student Johnson assists in identifying locales that need care and works with optometrists and students who donate their time and resources. “As future optometrists, we are in a prime position for humanitarian work that chips away at the immense world problem of preventable blindness. The skills we are honing can benefit millions of people around the world,” she says. “I am lucky to have been in a leadership position where I could directly see the impact of my work and see the lives that were changed for the better.” While Johnson says she has enjoyed all the clinical settings she’s entered, pediatric eye care has her heart. “I will be the first to admit that pediatric eye exams can be difficult. You have to have extreme patience and energy for these exams, but the reward of helping children achieve their best possible vision is absolutely worth the effort,” she says. The El Dorado Hills, California-native is set to graduate in Spring 2018. She plans to pursue a pediatric residency after graduation, and is interested in the new VOSH Corps program, which helps optometrists start optometry schools in countries that don’t have them. We cultivate, engage and nurture the next generation of leadership.
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