The Class of 2022 celebrated its commencement on Tuesday, May 3 at the Cannon Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Memphis.
Ann McLean was named Class Valedictorian, while Holly Pederson was Salutatorian. Class President Lauren Goettemoeller delivered the class address and presented the Teacher of the Year Award to Dr. David Hall.
Dr. James Sandefur, a 1965 SCO graduate who served as SCO’s Board of Trustees chair and as the longtime Executive Director of the Optometry Association of Louisiana, delivered the commencement address. He also received the honorary Doctor of Ocular Science degree.
In lieu of hosting a separate Senior Awards Ceremony, graduates were honored during the ceremony with recognition of outstanding and academic clinical achievements. Thanks to the generosity of alumni and friends, more than $60,000 in awards were presented. Below is a list of the graduates and the honors or awards they received:
Sean Austin Adams
Monroe, Louisiana
CUM LAUDE
Vistakon-Johnson & Johnson Vision Care/American Optometric Foundation “Johnson & Johnson Award of Excellence in CL Patient Care”
Amy Griffin Allen
Troy, Alabama
CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Kamden Machelle Badger
Jefferson, Iowa
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Marc A. Kranz Memorial Scholarship
Rachel Walden Barrantes
Tupelo, Mississippi
Andrew James Barrows
Atlanta, Georgia
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Tanner Andrew Beard
Primm Springs, Tennessee
Beta Sigma Kappa
Winston Family Endowed Award
Cynthia Rose Bell-Hulsey
Bremen, Georgia
CUM LAUDE
Shane Bradley Benally
Albuquerque, New Mexico
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Salman Bhatti
Atlanta, Georgia
Matthew George Bills
Provo, Utah
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Burnett Endowed Award for Student Achievement in Research
Matthew Thomas Blaseg
Pierre, South Dakota
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Dr. Fred H. Mothershed Endowed Scholarship
Haley Brooke Bolden
Tazewell, Tennessee
Class Secretary
Gold Key Honorary Society
Maria Bontrager
Bastrop, Texas
CUM LAUDE
College of Optometrists in Vision Development Excellence in Vision Therapy
Katherine Rylie Boone
Nixa, Missouri
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Susan Grissom Memorial Endowed Award
Miranda Brafford
Harrison, Ohio
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Chandler Bryant
Pelham, Tennessee
Taylor Canamore
Paragould, Arkansas
Jordan K. Carlson
Delaware, Ohio
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
GP Lens Institute CL Clinical Excellence Award
Heather Grace Carlton
Tullahoma, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Stephania Carreno
Jacksonville, Florida
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Bernard L. Kahn Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Caleb Hunter Chesnut
Newton, Illinois
CUM LAUDE
Class Representative
Beta Sigma Kappa
Glen T. Steele, OD, and L. Allen Fors, OD Developmental Vision Scholarship
Hannah Clair Chustz
Brusly, Louisiana
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Alexandria Rose Cloud
Pueblo West, Colorado
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society
Designs for Visions, Inc. William Feinbloom Low Vision Award
Aaliyah D. Cole
Fayette, Mississippi
CUM LAUDE
Gold Key Honorary Society
Dr. William M. Dickerson Endowed Leadership Award
Anthony Cortés
Dallas, Texas
James Caleb Counce
Paris, Tennessee
Jessica Aryn Crum
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
CUM LAUDE
Edelstein Endowed Scholarship
Andrew James Dahl
Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Dr. Mohammad Rafieetary Academic and Clinical Excellence Award
Serene Darwish
St. Louis, Missouri
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Sonali Dharmesh Das
Jonesboro, Arkansas
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Karyssa Davis
Summerville, South Carolina
Johnson & Johnson Award of Excellence in CL Patient Care Eagle Vision
Caitlyn DeClue
Little Rock, Arkansas
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Nathan DeClue
North Little Rock, Arkansas
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Kevin Sullivan Deutsch
Columbia City, Indiana
Jared Odell Dix
Murfreesboro, Tennessee
Tom and Louis Hyde Scholarship
Onyale Sabre Donloe
Acworth, Georgia
CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society
SECO Clinical Excellence Award
Anna Hattier Douglass
Lacombe, Louisiana
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Dr. James D. Sandefur Endowed Scholarship
Taylor Edwards
Water Valley, Mississippi
Suzanne C. Falkowski
Ringle, Wisconsin
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society, President
Class of 1967 Memorial Endowed Award
William T Feriend
Saginaw, Michigan
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
Bausch & Lomb Endowed Scholarship
Jackson Riley Fitzgerald
Elk Ridge, Utah
Gabrielle Gafford
Dallas, Texas
Burnett Endowed Award for Student Achievement in Research
Mason Michael Garbs
Dardenne Prairie, Missouri
Lauren Michelle Goettemoeller
Sidney, Ohio
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Class President
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society
Optometric Extension Program Clinical Curriculum Award
Teresa Grochowski
Boston, Massachusetts
Gold Key Honorary Society
Blade Aron Grupe
Alma Center, Wisconsin
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Bays Family Endowed Service Award
Alexis Grycko
Cincinnati, Ohio
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Thomas John Hand
Solon, Iowa
Kalina J. Harrell
San Tan Valley, Arizona
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Lucy Katherine Bone Orgain Award
Rachel Elizabeth Hart
Milan, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Jackson David Hawkins
LaVale, Maryland
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Fred H. Mothershed Endowed Scholarship
Virginia Elizabeth Henderson
Cartersville, Georgia
Ashlee Hobson
Jackson, Mississippi
Lucy Katherine Bone Orgain Award
Ryan T. Holiday
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
Southwest Council of Optometry Endowed Scholarship
Savannah Merritt Holman
Lonoke, Arkansas
Johnathan Wayne Hoopes
Afton, Wyoming
Mats Adam Jaslow
Miami, Florida
Ethan Chandler Jones
Tullahoma, Tennessee
Daniel Jordan
Shreveport, Louisiana
Riley Charles Juenemann
Phillipsburg, Kansas
Alcon Case Study Scholarship Award
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Rachel Lindsey Kane
Grenada, Mississippi
Nathan Keyes
Provo, Utah
Abigail Klick
Montgomery, Illinois
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Valley Contax Award
Madison Elizabeth Kloster
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Jessica M. Kongelf
Minot, North Dakota
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Jordan Claire Ladnier
Petal, Mississippi
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Tessa Elizabeth Lau
St. Louis, Missouri
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
2020-21 SGA President
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society, Secretary
Eryn Bryn Laws
Forrest City, Arkansas
Benjamin Michael Lee
Franklin, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Kevin Rogers, OD ’08, Practice Management Award
Logan Melissa Lineberry
Raleigh, North Carolina
CUM LAUDE
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Caitlin Mary Lingg
Stockton, Kansas
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Ryan Aubrey Livesay
Collierville, Tennessee
Joseph Luiso
Olive Branch, Mississippi
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Mohammad Rafieetary Academic and Clinical Excellence Award
Jerry Luo
Sugar Land, Texas
Samuel Lupkes
Sacramento, California
CUM LAUDE
Gabrielle Lois Magee
West Des Moines, Iowa
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society, Vice President
Dr. David P. Sloan Memorial Award
Zachary Lee Makal
Germantown, Wisconsin
Elena Vansant Martin
Irmo, South Carolina
Sarah Mei Mastrorocco
Mineral Wells, West Virginia
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Micah Lee Bullock McCarty
Huntingdon, Tennessee
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Spivey Family Endowed Award
Lillian A. McEntire
North Little Rock, Arkansas
Class Representative
Ann E. McLean
Overland Park, Kansas
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
National Board of Examiners Part II Award
Johnson & Johnson Award of Excellence in CL Patient Care Eagle Vision
Ellilta Daniel Mezgebu
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Eschenbach Optik Low Vision Student Award
Ashley Berry Millar
Freeland, Michigan
Jeffrey Morrison
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Zachary Thomas Morrison
Lawton, Oklahoma
X-Cel Contacts Outstanding GP Fitting Award
Troy L. Moss
Chattanooga, Tennessee
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Erin Ruth Mozingo
Rochester, New York
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Class Treasurer
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society
Sparrow, Evans, and Waymon Endowed Scholarship
Jamie Misato Myers
Windermere, Florida
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Anna Lynn Nations
Brandon, Mississippi
CUM LAUDE
Minh-Khanh Thi Nguyen
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Gold Key Honorary Society, Treasurer
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Jacob Tyler Norris
Newport, Tennessee
Xiaowen Pan
Suwanee, Georgia
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Dr. Bernard L. Kahn Memorial Endowed Scholarship
Brittany Kay Parker
Union City, Tennessee
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Winston Family Endowed Award
Alexandra Leigh Pasley
Lakeland, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Emily Carter Patterson
Tupelo, Mississippi
CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Beta Sigma Kappa
SECO Past Presidents Endowed Award
Holly Renee Pederson
Hughenden, Alberta, Canada
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Essilor Labs of America Award
Cody Allen Pigott
Monticello, Arkansas
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Southwest Contact Lens Society Endowed Scholarship
Andrew Patrick Plaxco
Mt. Juliet, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Christopher Anthony Pope
Orem, Utah
CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
The Southeast VT Forum Scholarship
Tom and Louis Hyde Scholarship
William Lee Ratliff
Greenbrier, Arkansas
Class of 1967 Memorial Endowed Award
Alexandra Marie Robertson
Fort Mill, South Carolina
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Nathan Robinson
Amelia, Virginia
Claire Catherine Russell
Gastonia, North Carolina
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Kimberly Stacey Santillan
Russellville, Arkansas
Joseph A. Sciortino
Waldwick, New Jersey
Student Ambassador
Alicia A. Groce Scholarship in Neuro-Rehabilitation
Jordan Collins Shell
Covington, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Collin Mills Simmons
Benton, Arkansas
CUM LAUDE
Student Ambassador
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Griffin Harris Smith
Sheridan, Arkansas
Braden James Sorensen
Lehi, Utah
Tom and Louis Hyde Scholarship
Sarah Elizabeth Spangler
Fayetteville, North Carolina
Macy Sparks
Sunrise Beach, Missouri
Dr. Robert and Evelyn Henry Outstanding Clinician Award
Rachel Alexandra Steele
Goodlettsville, Tennessee
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Christine and George Ducote, OD ’40, Scholarship
Eric Stewart
Herndon, Virginia
Regan Nicole Stone
Olathe, Kansas
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Good-Lite Award
Bradley Bryson Swaim
Raleigh, North Carolina
Namra Tanveer
Shreveport, Louisiana
Mia Samantha Taylor
Athens, Tennessee
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Southwest Contact Lens Society Endowed Scholarship
Sykes Eric Thompson
Harrisburg, Illinois
Lindsay Elizabeth Thornton
Charlotte, North Carolina
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Class Vice President
Beta Sigma Kappa
Gold Key Honorary Society
Valley Contax Award
Halpern Family Endowed Award
Quynh-Nhi Doan Trinh
Slidell, Louisiana
Dr. James D. Sandefur Endowed Scholarship
Alexandra Grace Turner
Subiaco, Arkansas
SUMMA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
James Trey Upton
Springfield, Missouri
Robbilyn Verges
Lacombe, Louisiana
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
National Vision, Inc. Award
Maria Claudette Vitale
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Landon Hunter Voigt
Mount Pleasant, Michigan
Michael Scott Wagner
Woodinville, Washington
James “Beau” Willis Endowed Scholarship
Otha Wade Warren
Cabot, Arkansas
Rachel Denise Slater Whitt
Cordova, Tennessee
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Burnett Endowed Award for Student Achievement in Research
Shelby Annece Wilkes
Oxford, Alabama
Rachel Rintelmann Williams
Cocoa, Florida
MAGNA CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Optelec Excellence in Low Vision Award
James “Beau” Willis Endowed Scholarship
Allison Taylor Wirt
Birmingham, Alabama
Gold Key Honorary Society
Glen T. Steele, OD, and L. Allen Fors, OD Developmental Vision Scholarship
Susan Grissom Memorial Endowed Award
William Rey Worley III
Nichols, South Carolina
Cassity Hope Youssef
Crete, Nebraska
CUM LAUDE
Beta Sigma Kappa
Lucy Katherine Bone Orgain Award
View our full photo gallery for all of our Commencement week events! The livestream recording of the Commencement Ceremony is available to view below: