I was fortunate enough to serve as one of two second-year class reps for ICO’s Class of 2020 last year. On top of helping our class figure out how to make our experience at ICO better for us and future classes, there were also many events I was able to get involved with! One of my favorites was the presidential recruiting process as the institution seeks a successor for Dr. Arol Augsbuger.
Student leaders were chosen to attend a lunch with the presidential candidates. We met the top 5 and were able to get to know them and ask questions about how they would help ICO. It was awesome to hear how these candidates got to where they are. They have all been very successful in their careers, but it’s all about who would be the best fit for ICO. It was a cool experience to be able to include my opinion in this instrumental process.
Another thing I was recently involved in as a class rep was graduation. The Commencement ceremony was held at the Symphony Center this year, which was different from previous years. I agreed to help out in hopes that it would motivate me to get through these next two years of the program. It did just that! I watched the Class of 2018 cross the stage to receive their OD degrees. It was an amazing experience to have them realize all their truly hard work had paid off.
Class reps are part of the Student Association, which every student is a part of when they decide to come to ICO. The organization is meant to represent the student body. It hosts multiple events throughout the year to allow the students to have fun and get away from school for a little bit. Additional events include the ICOlympics, 12 Bars of Christmas, Boo Bash, Eyeball, Blind Spot, Casino Night, and many others. It is fun to help put these events together.
This year, I was also elected as one of the third-year class reps. I’m very excited about all there is to do and how we can make the ICO experience better. We are already getting involved in one critical aspect of third year— studying for part 1 of boards. We have been in touch with our KMK representatives, which is a company that has study materials for us. It’s crazy to think that we already have to start thinking about how we’re going to study for and tackle this very important test in March! However, I think it is wise to begin early. I’m looking forward to helping our class be successful throughout the year.
With that, being a class rep has a lot of responsibilities, but it is totally worth it. It’s awesome knowing that I’m able to put the opinions of our class out there in order to make a worthwhile difference.