Happy New Year! I hope that everyone had an excellent jump-start to the New Year and safe

return to school! This year our newsletter once again showcases the wonderful events that various NOSA chapters have exhibited across the country. I hope that you enjoy reading what different chapters have accomplished as well as gaining ideas for your chapter in future years. It truly shows that each chapter has been busy in their local communities. Nationally, NOSA has also been quite busy! Our president-elect has been working hard with communication for the Alliance. During our last national convention we voted to become a member for a year as we continue to collect more information about this organization. In the month of November, NOSA was featured as the organization of the month. Information was distributed about NOSA to minority professional organizations across the country. This has truly been an honor for NOSA. I would like to personally thank Erica for her wonderful work with this organization. At the next convention in San Diego, California we will decide whether or not we would like to add an amendment to our constitution to join the organization. Also, we have continued our student-to-student mentor program. I hope that every student has had the opportunity to contact the student they were paired with and are on their way to building wonderful relationships!

This year we also held our 2nd annual T-shirt competition and the design submitted by the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry was crowned the winner. All active members will be receiving a t-shirt in his or her membership packages that will be distributed in the spring. The future of NOSA looks even brighter! I look forward with working with the Executive Board to establish guidelines for the NOSA scholarship and hopefully, this year we will present our first NOSA scholarship at the 2011 convention. This year I challenge each optometry school to maintain our motto, “Advancing the visual needs of minority populations.” With that in mind, I would like to challenge each school to raise money for the Lupus Foundation. Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects many woman and minorities across the country. It also has a special place in my heart as my oldest sister was diagnosed with this disease during her freshman year of college. Additional information is provided about this challenge in the newsletter. I encourage each of you to keep up the good work! As I reflected on the fall semester and worked on the newsletter, I must admit I am proud of NOSA, the over 400 members, and each of its chapters. The NOSA Chapters make it a true pleasure to serve as president as you all have conducted so many programs and events. I hope you enjoy the newsletter and I look forward to seeing you in San Diego, California this summer! Sincerely,

Sharhonda A. Bell 2010-2011 NOSA President

A Letter From the President

National Optometric Student Association

Winter Newsletter December 28th, 2010

Lupus Erythematosus is an

autoimmune disease that affects

many minorities and women. 90%

of people diagnosed with lupus

are women and 2 out of 3 of those

women are women of color

(African American, Hispanics,

Asians, and Native Americans).

Lupus also has many ocular

manifestations and I challenge

each school to raise at least $250

for the lupus foundation, so that

NOSA as a whole will show our

commitment to helping Minority

populations. More information

about lupus can be found at

www.lupus.org. Also, donations

can be made through the same

site.

The LUPUS Challenge

NOA Scholarships Four $1000 scholarships this year: Cave Memorial Award

Dr. C. Clayton Powell Georgia Student Award

John L. Howlette and C. Clayton Powell Student Founders Award

Dr. Robert Johnson Pediatric/Vision Therapy Award For more info please see http://www.natoptassoc.org/nosa.html

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Illinois College of Optometry ICO’s NOSA Chapter started off this year in great spirits, having won the NOA Convention Award last year under

the leadership of outgoing President Karina Nikogosian’s unrelenting energy and enthusiasm. I am proud to report

that our Board members this year have been just as driven to lead NOSA along a similarly successful path this year.

Following a carefully planned guideline, listed below is what our schedule has comprised this year:

Summer Quarter

In June 2010, NOSA was involved in ICO’s 3rd

annual summer event, the “Focus on Your Future”

program. This year, we had 20 students participate,

and many of them will be enrolled in the class of

2014 or 2015. The program is an opportunity for the

students to explore the school, meet with students and

faculty members, and be exposed to the field of

Optometry.

Fall Quarter

August 2010 was first marked by the First Year

Student Orientation week.

August 14th

: NOSA participated at the Who’s Who

Fair, where we introduced students to the

organization’s goals and objectives, and successfully

recruited promising candidates for the 2010-2011

Academic year.

August 15th

: Subsequently, club Presidents were also

given the opportunity to address the incoming first

years with a PowerPoint presentation and a reason to

support their respective organizations. We continued

our year old practice of distributing brochures that

provided a brief insight into the organization, under

the guidance of our Public Outreach officer, Marisha

Spence-Roberts.

August 18th

: The following week, we officially

launched our own Big Brother/ Sister program

specific to students of underrepresented minority

members with a mixer social event, furthered by Vice

President Jennifer McKinnon. Nineteen enrolled

students were expected and presented with welcome

kits. These kits included shoulder bags filled with

useful items such as guidelines to manage their

studies and time, a guide to the city of Chicago, its

various restaurants and activities, all based on

member recommendations.

August 20th

: NOSA participated in ICO’s Club

Blindspot, an annual Friday night event, where

students are given another opportunity to walk

amongst the booths for various participating student

organizations and join the ones of interest. We also

held a successful sale of eyeglass frames contributed

by Dr. Ed Eberiech.

August 24th: NOSA joined hands with the

Multicultural Association in the annual entitled, “The

Taste of ICO” where we raised over one thousand

dollars donated towards the Illinois Eye Institute

Foundation, and the proceeds were directly invested

to help fund eye exams at IEI’s Federal Alliance

Clinics, where individuals cannot afford appropriate health

care independently. The fundraiser involved a lunchtime

sale of ethnically diverse food prepared by our students and

faculty, and a raffle drawing for donations from various

sources, which included a Will’s Eye Manual, some

sunglasses, and a complete eye model among other things.

The event was attended by a majority of the ICO

population, some recent Alumni, as well as Dr. Rupe

Hansra of Lenscrafters.

August 25th

: We held our general meeting thrown open to

all students, giving them another chance to to ask questions

aboutNOSA, and sign up for membership based on

everything they had seen of us. For your interest, attached

to this e-mail is the presentation I used for the purpose of

this welcome period, which served as our starting timeline

for the year 2010-11.

September 2010

ICO’s Student Association had a meeting for leading

representatives of all student organizations. President Elect

Candace Hines attended this meeting and she briefly

explained NOSA’s Mission and our planned events for the

program year.

September 24th

: Third-year student member Marilyn

Zuniga held the first of a series of Spanish Language

workshops planned for the Academic year 2010-2011,

based on the topic of Dispensing eyeglasses.

October 2010

October 6th

: Dr. Fatimah Bukhari, Dr. Dana Mestey, and

Dr. Annie Low, represented Lenscrafters in the first of our

speaker series for the year, “An Eye On Corporate

Optometry.” The event was well received and attended by

several students who actively participated in the discussion,

which ranged from a brief glimpse of the doctors’ career

paths, to the benefits of Private vs. Corporate Optometry,

and the scope of practice within corporate Optometric

facilities. The seminar was concluded with each doctor

taking time to personally speak with every attending

member. I believe we achieved our goal to provide a

refreshing glimpse of real world Optometry to our students

during an otherwise average lunch hour.

October 8th

: our chapter attended Dr. Stephanie Johnson-

Brown’s Plano Vision Benefit, an evening held in honor

of Dr. Brown’s Pediatric patients who have successfully

completed the Vision Therapy program, where we helped

organize the annual silent auction and raffle event.

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October 16th

: The Hundred Men College Fair is a Chicago event that NOSA

participates in regularly. Here is what one our members, Agen Herring, has to say

about the experience: “… was a great event for anyone interested in college or

professional school. The event was structured around self respect and doing your

best. I was able to interact with non-traditional students considering a change in

careers that involved going back to school. More importantly, I exposed some young

minds to optometry and may have sparked an interest in a career many of the kids had

never considered.” His words capture the idea and objectives of NOSA.

October 31st: Halloween candy was distributed among all students at ICO, along with

a little card wishing them a Happy Halloween and good luck on their final exams.

This served as a source of goodwill, advertisement, and promotion of the organization

during a tough week at ICO.

Winter quarter

November 15th

: NOSA member Marilyn Zuniga held a second Spanish Language

workshop, on the subject of “How to perform a Case History in Spanish.” The event

was, once again, much appreciated by ICO students, especially in light of ICO’s new

program providing an off-campus rotation at the Alivio Medical Center, which

requires the ability to conduct an exam in Spanish, given the ethnicity of the

population at the clinic.

November 29th

: Third Spanish workshop of the Academic year: “How to conduct

an eye exam in Spanish” was held during the lunch hour again, running a full course

of topics.

Tentative final topic for the year, “How to explain diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma in Spanish” is to be announced at a future time. November/ December: For our new quarter, one of our main projects is to organize a

fundraising committee:

(a) February Crush Cans: 1st year student leader Channing Sly.

(b) Annual fundraising event in the making: Spanish translation/ Pediatric

quick tool guides.

(c) 2009 Notepad sale: We intend to continue sale of these notepads once

again! ICO’s clinic policies have changed drastically, introducing students into the

program at a much earlier stage, with some choice new off campus rotations such as

the Alivio Medical Clinic, the Chicago Public schools, and a Wal-Mart site. Now

more than ever, our students will need to keep track of their patients, so we expect this

idea to be met well.

Looking forward to the opportunity to meet you all in person at the 2011 NOA

Convention,

Nivedita Chandrasekharan

ICO NOSA President 2010-2011

Email: Nchandrasekh@eyedoc.ico.edu

ICO’s Additional Notes

Our Public Relations Chair,

Poj-Laim Xiong, has done a

great job in maintaining our

newly acquired independent

Bulletin Board space, with

timely updates and some

enthusiastic decorations.

One of primary steps

towards the improved

management of NOSA this

year was to help each Board

member touch base with

their respective leadership

skills, and distribute the

work and event planning

evenly among all members. I

am glad to report that our

Board members have all

contributed diligently this

year to help NOSA adhere to

the agenda proposed at the

beginning of the term.

We at ICO are determined to

carry on the traditional

objectives of the

organization. Please feel free

to reply with any comments

or suggestions for the

remainder of the Academic

Year.

Winter and Spring 2010:

Tentative Agenda—

Friday, January 7th

: Wal-Mart presentation

with Dr. Kim Vo. Tentative lunchtime topic:

Networking/ Resume building

Monday, January 10th

: Private Practice-

visit to Dr. Cynthia Reynolds’ new

establishment.

February 14th

: Crush cans fundraiser as

discussed above

April: Private Practice- visit to Dr. Steve

Steinmetz

Tentative date: Panel Discussion

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Western University College of Optometry The Newest School to create a NOSA Chapter

NOSA at WesternU has been very active. On December 7th, we held our first NOSA - YMCA of Pomona Valley Toy Drive. Toys and monetary donations were collected throughout the month of November and early

December on WesternU's campus. The toys and WesternU Optometry information pamphlets were then distributed to the parents and children

from the YMCA here in Pomona.

We have also been working on our Visionary Scholarship fund. So far

we have raised one-thousand dollars from sponsors and donations. We have some

fundraising activities planned that we hope will help us meet our goal for the scholarships. The

scholarships will be for the children of the schools that we have been providing vision

screenings at, in the Pomona Unified School District. We plan on awarding a scholarship at each of

the schools that will aid a student (in need, financially) with the cost of a new pair of prescription glasses.

Everyone has been really

enthusiastic and hardworking.

We are all just so busy all the

time that we all try to give as

much of ourselves as we can.

Academics comes first, but as

expected everyone has pulled

together and we have made

our first semester as a club a

success!

“Academics comes first”

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NOSA Poster Presentation

Each year at the NOA Convention there is a poster competition. The top 3 abstracts received by April 30th qualify to win free convention registration as well as monetary awards. If you have conducted research that is unpublished and would like to enter this competition, please check the NOA’s website for more information. Info can be found on NOSA’s link underneath Scholarships.

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The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry UABSO

The month of September proved to be a

success as we kicked off the month with the first ever NOSA picnic at George Ward Park in Birmingham, Al. The chapter president worked hard over the grill as NOSA members came out and enjoyed games and each other’s company. It was a fun-filled evening as we learned a little more about each other and were able to build bridges that will hopefully last a lifetime. Also, the month of September was Pre-Optometry month for UAB’s undergraduate program. We supported this month by conducting a cow eye dissection for over fifty students. These students were thrilled to be able to learn more about cow eyes and optometry. It was both a thrill and a privilege to be able to serve the undergrads in this capacity.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry (UABSO) kicked off the Fall Semester with an Ice Cream Social in August. This was our first ice cream social and proved to be a success as we were able to meet new first year students and re-introduce ourselves to old students on the first week of classes. Creating a NOSA Board to keep NOSA members updated was our first initiative and before the year started members were hard at work putting together a board that reflected UABSO’s NOSA chapter. The first week of classes ended with a NOSA meeting and we were off to do great things to advance the visual health of minorities. Within the first month we participated in three eye screenings.

September

6

In October, we supported local minority businesses and had a social event at Café de Paris. This wonderful dinner was a great opportunity for NOSA members to take a study break after midterms and enjoy each other with great French cuisine. In November, we had our first Explorer’s Post for the school year. Explorer’s post is a way to teach others about optometry. It is an Introduction to Optometry for high school and college students that consist of a classroom lecture portion and time in our practice clinic for a little hands-on activity. For this session, Dr. Janene Sims spoke about refraction, and the participants were able to do auto refraction as well as spherical refraction behind a phoropter. As always it was a joy for our participants and volunteers.

The semester ended in December with a Round Table Discussion with Dr. Jeffrey Ford, our Region III Trustee. Our topic for the discussion was Surviving Life during and After Optometry School. We feasted eating food prepared by a local Greek restaurant, Taziki’s, as we discussed how to better prepare ourselves for our future today. The following week we had our annual Holiday party with a gift exchange and food we ended took a break from studying right before our final exams.

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December

October

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BUSINESS CARD FUNDRAISER NOSA PCO SU held a business

card and business card holder sell

from Monday, August 23-25,

2010! This event was a great

success and aided students in all

programs at the University to

prepare to network during the

school year at various events!

CLOTHING DRIVE: COVENANT

HOUSE

NOSA PCO SU held a clothing

drive for Covenant House in

Germantown, PA. The clothing

drive was kicked off at the NOSA

BBQ on Saturday, September 11,

2010 and was held until Saturday,

September 18, 2010. Over 150

articles of clothing in the form of

pants, shirts and shoes were

collected for the organization and

delivered by the President and

Vice President of NOSA PCO SU!

NOSA PCO SU BARBEQUE

NOSA PCO SU held a BBQ on

Saturday, September 11, 2010 at

Alvelthorpe Park! The event was

attended by more than 50 students

and family members and served as

the kick off to the week long clothing

drive for Covenant House! The NOSA

PCO SU advisor, Ms. Janice

Mignogna, also attended the event.

The BBQ was prepared by Mr. Turner,

Erica Turner’s dad (NOSA PCO SU

President), and Nwamaka Ngoddy,

’13 OD (former NOSA PCO SU

President )! The event was

sponsored by ACME, Giant and Wal-

Mart!

VISION SCREENING: TRIUMPH

BAPTIST CHURCH

NOSA PCO SU participated in a vision screening for a Health Expo held at Triumph Baptist Church on September 18, 2010. This official Health, Wealth, and Wellness Week pre-kick off event.

MURAL TOUR OF PHILADELPHIA

NOSA held a mural tour of

Phildalphia on Sunday, October 3,

2010! The event was sponsored

by Wal-Mart! We were able to

tour murals, eat cheesesteaks and

hear about the experiences of two

Wal-Mart ODs!

EQUIPMENT RAFFLE FUNDRAISER

NOSA PCO SU held an equipment raffle from Monday, October 4- Wednesday, October 6, 2010! Raffle items included $500 OFF THE KEELER BIO, the Heine Direct Ophthalmoscope and a Heine penlight! The above photo shows the NOSA PCO SU Vice President, Keion Mark, ’13 OD and Vision Screenings/ Community Service Chairperson, Suemayah Gouda, ’13 OD pulling the raffle winners!

Pennsylvania School of Optometry (SALUS)

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BIG BRO/ BIG SIS POTLUCK • • •

NOSA PCO SU held its

annual Big/ Brother Big

Sister Potuck on Friday,

October 15, 2010! This

year there was a twist, as

members battled it out in a

Jeopardy game which

covered materials stressed

in the first optometric year

of study. There were also

questions about Salus

University and NOSA on the

local and national level.

NOSA PCO SU members attended the Philadelphia Diversity Mixer for graduate and professional students hosted by the Drexel University College of Medicine’s chapter of the Student National Medical Association. This was a wonderful opportunity to meet and network with graduate and professional students in the area. The event was held on Friday, October 22, 2010.

NOA ROUNDTABLE DISCUSSION

The National NOA President, Dr.LaSheta David (PCO Alumna) and the region I trustee of the NOA visited Salus University on Monday, November 1, 2010 for a roundtable discussion with NOSA PCO SU members, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dean Horne, the NOSA PCO SU faculty advisor, Ms. Mignogna, and a former NOSA PCO SU faculty advisor, Ms. Karen Boykin! The President of Salus University and Dean of Optometry also had a chance to stop by!

BLOOD DRIVE

NOSA PCO SU held its Fall Blood Drive on Monday, November 29, 2010! This was a critical blood drive, as it was the Monday following a holiday!

ODS OF TOMORROW EVENT

NOSA PCO SU participated in a Science Discovery Day/ ODs of Tomorrow event on Saturday, December 4, 2010 at Sheppard Elementary School . During this event we participated in interactive science experiments and encouraged interest in the sciences and higher education!

PCO EYEDOL

• • •

NOSA PCO SU held its annual

PCO EYEDOL on Friday,

November 12, 2010 in the HSCC!

More than 100 students and faculty members participated in the event! There were prizes for the first, second and third place winners and raffle items for those that attended!

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The University of Missouri at St Louis (UMSL)

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10

NOVA Southeastern University in Davie School of Optometry

MHS Vision Screening (July 24th, July 31st, Aug. 7th, Aug 14th)

During the summer of 2010, the NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University along with co-sponsorship from SVOSH (Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity), took part in aiding Memorial Healthcare Service with Back-to-School Vision Screening on four different Saturdays. This community service project provided families in the community with free Back-to-School Physicals and Vision Screening.

The NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University hosted a bowling social to welcome new members and first year optometry students to Nova Southeastern University. This bowling social gave new members and students the opportunity to ask any questions, concerns or comments they may have about our organization or the optometry program.

Bowling Social (Aug. 12th)

Bake Sale (Aug. 18th)

The NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University hosted a fundraiser to raise money for their annual Jamaica Medical Mission Trip which will be held in the summer of 2011. Members of the organization baked goods to

Guest Speaker: Dr. Smith Blanc, OD, (Sept. 8th)

The NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University along with co-sponsorship from the National Optometric Practice Management Association hosted a forum on “How to Practice and Volunteer Internationally with Your License” and “The Pros and Cons on doing a Residency.” Former NOSA President, Dr. Smith Blanc, present on the topic and reached out to members and students in the optometry program.

The NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University hosted a fundraiser to raise money for their annual Jamaica Medical Mission Trip which will be held in the summer of 2011. Members of the organization cooked various ethnic and multi-cultural dishes to help raise funds for the annual trip.

Multi-Cultural Luncheon

11

Increasing Retention Rate Among NOSA Members

Holiday Social Gathering (Nov. 13th) For the holiday season, NOSA members enjoyed a wonderful social with their advisor, Dr. Sherrol Reynolds, O.D. Dr. Reynolds opened up her home for students to enjoy a night of Taboo, Pictionary, and networking.

High School Presentation (Nov. 18th

On November 18th, the NOSA Chapter at Nova Southeastern University reached out to students at Stranahan Community High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida to talk about the profession of optometry. Furthermore, NOSA members educated high school students about the importance of getting involve in the community, graduating from high school, and since it was the diabetes month, effects of diabetes on vision.

Once a week throughout the semester, NOSA members neutralize prescription glasses donated from the Fort Lauderdale’s Lions Club. Members are neutralizing these lenses to provide and donate eyewear for their Annual Jamaica Medical Mission Trip.

Neutralization (Throughout the Semester)

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About The NOA Our Parent Organization

The NOA was founded in 1969 in Richmond, Virginia. Since its 1969 inauguration the doctors of the National Optometric Association has worked hard to help with the recruitment and retention of minority students. The organization was founded with the purpose of the delivery of effective and efficient eye and vision care services to the minority community. Today’s main program is entitled the Three Silent Killers. This program is aimed to teach about the three diseases that pose major risks to minority populations: Glaucoma, Diabetes, and Hypertension. NOA doctors distribute information in their practices and at local vision screenings. Free membership into the NOA is offered to graduating NOSA members for their first year after graduation from his/her perspective optometric program. For more information about the NOA, please visit their website at http://www.natoptassoc.org

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The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Summer Back-To-School Screening On the Saturday of August 21, 2010, students of the NOSA chapter at The Ohio State College University had the opportunity to provide free vision screenings to children from the neighborhood of East Columbus who came to attend a health fair called “Back-to-School Blessings”, hosted by the Living Word Church. It was a very busy event where the children circulated through several stations within the vision screening, including a visual acuity test, stereopsis, and a phoria check. Some of the OSU optometry students who participated in providing the vision screening were Peter Fong, Victoria Piamonte, Danielle Erwin, Linda Nguyen, Krystal Long, and Becky Yantko. The event proved to be a worthwhile and touching experience, as the students were able to interact with these children on a personal level and ensured that they were appropriately referred for vision care to properly prepare for school. -Linda Nguyen, Diversity Enhancement Committee Representative, Opt II Picnic of H.O.P.E. In our continued partnership with the Congressional Glaucoma Caucus, NOSA participated in the Picnic of H.O.P.E. on September 25th at the Veteran’s Memorial Park. Along with local Columbus churches and businesses, the OSU chapter of NOSA with the help of Dr. Jacqueline Davis was able to screen community members in need. This was a wonderful event to kick off the school year and stretch those vision screening muscles! Side by side with other healthcare providers, patients were able to participate in diabetes screenings, HIV testing and counseling, mammographies, flu shots and haircuts.

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The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Study/Practical Preparation Night Amid the stress and studying for midterms, NOSA hosted a dinner on November 14th to help students reconnect with each other, vent about their worries, and help each other recharge for the next bout of midterms and practicals. While everyone noshed on Thai food and picked up study supplies (who doesn’t love new highlighters and post-its?), new and returning members shared their experiences, seasoned upperclassmen gave studying advice and even volunteered to sit as Opt IIs practiced their retinoscopy skills. As a chapter, OSU NOSA has had a wonderful season participating in these new events as well as our annual events. Members worked with the Diversity Enhancement Committee at OSU to host high school and college students in early August for the IDOC/Improving Diversity in Optometric Careers program. We attended the East/West Optometric Conference in Cleveland with optometrists from all over the state in October. And looking back upon the entire year of 2010, we were able to screen 196 patients within seven screening events. Of these patients, we identified twenty-four patients who would benefit from a glaucoma consultation, and countless other patients for additional routine follow-up. It has been a wonderful year for NOSA OSU and we greatly look forward to 2011. Wishing everyone health, happiness, and prosperity in the new year!

The O

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Thank you for Reading the 2010-2011 Winter Newsletter. Hope you enjoyed and Good Luck in

the Spring Semester.

Don’t forget the next NOSA Convention San Diego, California

July 27-31, 2011 @

The Manchester Grand Hyatt. Hope to see YOU there!

“When we do the best that we can,

we never know what miracle is

wrought in our life, or in the life of

another.”

-Helen Keller