NOA 2023: What's new with AOSA?

At the National Optometric Association 2023 Convention in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Easy Anyama, immediate past president of the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA), spoke to Optometry Times about the latest happenings with the student organization.

Video transcript

Editor's note: This transcript has been edited lightly for clarity.

Easy Anyama:
Hi, I'm Easy Anyama. I'm the immediate past president of the American Optometric Student Association [AOSA]. Here at the NOA meeting, and it's great to be here.

Honestly working with the NOA or NOSA and AOSA for the Diversify Optometry Initiative [DOI] has been just a really good experience. It's changing the program, trying to get more students aware and involved in optometry. So I'm excited for that. We have a webinar coming out July 17 for students, and it's going to be great.

A lot of conferences have speakers and lectures and things, but the NOA meeting has had an atmosphere that I think has been incredible. It's really like a family feel here with the doctors and students and just everything going on. So I've really just enjoyed being around this environment and the atmosphere.

For sure the Diversify Optometry Initiative just because it's the big AOSA and NOSA partnership that we've developed. And it's been a couple of years and it's growing and it's exciting to see that it's finally going to be something that will be awesome, but also long-lasting [and] sustainable. That's the big one for me.

I would say that the NOA Convention is a great convention and all students should come because it's an experience that you won't regret, and you'll come back feeling refreshed and ready to tackle optometry.