Southern College of Optometry’s 28th Annual Student Awards Banquet honored academic and clinical achievement by members of the Class of 2013 in a ceremony held the night before commencement.
Class President Zophia Rendon signed the agreement at the start of the ceremony to establish the Class of 2013 scholarship. Dr. Carrie Lebowitz was emcee for the evening. Ashley Helton was recognized as class valedictorian and Janine Henry as salutatorian.
The following students received awards and recognition during the event:
Academic Award Sponsors and 2013 Recipients
Alcon Case Study Scholarship Award
Alan Arabi
Bays Family Service Award
Ellen Elmore
Drs. Fred and Charlene Burnett Student Research Award
Ashley Gentrup, Erin Kindy and Kristen Spears
COVD Excellence in Vision Therapy Award
Laura Ashe
Designs for Vision, Inc. William Feinbloom Low Vision Award
Ashley Gentrup
Eagle Vision Super Eagle Practice Builder’s Kit
Amanda Phelps
Eschenbach Optik Award
Leigha Davis
Essilor Crizal Award of Excellence
Rickson Zollinger
Essilor Labs of America/Southern Optical
Jonathan Coble
GP Lens Institute’s Contact Lens Clinical Excellence Award
Kristen Spears
Dr. Bernard L. Kahn Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Scott Moscow
LS&S Group Low Vision Award
Catherine Kerr-Niermann
Luxottica Excellence to Service Award
Marion Flowers
Marchon Eyewear Practice Management Award
Camille Barberic
NBEO Part II Award
Brittany Radke
NoIR Low Vision Award
Ashley Parson
NOSA Award
Alicea Smith, Marion Harris, Carrie Hughes, Megan Johnson, Maria Kirkpatrick
Ocular Instruments, Inc., Award of Excellence
Allison Lyerly
Odyssey Medical Partners in Optometry Award
Robert Binkley and Robyn Christenson
OEP Clinical Curriculum Award
Julliane Koch
Ooh La La De Paris Award
Kyle Kragenbrink
Dr. David P. Sloan Memorial Award
Nora Cothran
SCO Outstanding Clinician Awards
Kurt Brawner, Leigha Davis, Jessica Elmore, Sara Faulkenberry, Ashley Gentrup, Ashley Helton, Samuel Johnson, Megan Kortum, Nathan Rock, Hannah Schmidt
Southern Council of Optometrists Clinical Excellence Award
Ashley Helton
Southwest Contact Lens Society
Lauren Krawczyk
Stereo Optical Co., Inc.
Miles Ashley
Vistakon Award of Excellence in Contact Lens Patient Care
Megan Kortum
Winston Family Endowed Award
Natalie Nguyen
X-Cel Contacts Outstanding GP Fitting Award
Hannah Schmidt
Gold Key Membership, the highest leadership honor attainable by an optometry student, is restricted to ten percent of the fourth-year class. It is based on outstanding professional and ethical attitudes in leadership and service:
Catherine Abbott, Adam Beaubien, Nora Cothran, Ellen Elmore, Sara Faulkenberry, Ashley Gentrup, Heather Jones, Maria Kirkpatrick, Megan Dillman Kortum, Catherine Kerr-Niermann, Amanda Phelps, Whitney Pollock
Who’s Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges
Kala Brown, Robyn Christenson, Bridgette Connorton, Nora Cothran, Ellen Elmore, Jessica Elmore, Sara Faulkenberry, Marion Flowers, Aubrey Fulton, Ashley Gentrup, Ashley Helton, Samuel Johnson, Maria Kirkpatrick, Megan Kortum, Allison Lyerly, Scott Moscow, Catherine Kerr-Niermann, Amanda Phelps, Zophia Rendon, Nathan Rock, Alicea Smith, Joshua Watt, Joel Weis
Senior Student Ambassadors
Utham Balachandran, Sarah Bassett, Sara Faulkenberry, Marion Flowers, Aubrey Fulton, Sam Johnson, Amanda Phelps, Whitney Pollock, Nathan Rock, Joel Weis