Returning from the Outside World

Hello again!

After a grueling end to the fall semester, winter break was much needed and well-appreciated. The sudden change of pace in my daily life was a shock to my system—no more frantic studying, no more early alarms, much less caffeine, and much more free time. It was refreshing to return to the outside world and step out of my optometry school bubble for a while. Throughout break, I spent some quality time back home with my family watching Christmas movies, snuggling with my dog, and catching up on sleep. I reconnected with some friends who I hadn’t seen in a while and worked part time as well. I am so grateful that I had time to rest and recharge before beginning another busy semester.

But in the blink of an eye, winter break has come and gone, and the first two weeks of the spring semester are now complete. We certainly hit the ground running this semester, with a packed course schedule, our transition into clinic, and many interesting events and opportunities. Last week, I attended the Ohio Optometric Association Student Night, where I was fortunate enough to listen to many successful Ohio optometrists speak about their experiences and give advice. It was certainly an inspiring and motivating evening. My class also begins our first clinical experience this semester! Every other week I spend an afternoon in the primary vision care service practicing pretesting skills and observing as the third-year students perform their exams. It feels so rewarding to have some hands-on experiences and have a chance to meet some third-year students as well! I am also looking forward to the process of becoming a member of Epsilon Psi Epsilon (EYE), the optometry fraternity, in the coming week. Those of us who are joining EYE have been working hard with our scavenger hunt teams, competing against our classmates to visit many people and places around the college and campus as a whole. We have a game night and initiation ceremony to look forward to as well!

My EYE scavenger hunt team & I practicing our axial anisometropia arms with Dr. Mutti

After a restful winter break, catching up with my optometry school friends, and taking part in some great opportunities these past couple of weeks, I feel reenergized and ready to hit the books. Here’s to another semester of learning and growth!