Commencement 2023

New England College of Optometry Celebrated its 129th Commencement at Boston Symphony Hall on May 21, 2023.

The New England College of Optometry (NECO) conferred Doctor of Optometry degrees to students in the four-year OD program, plus four students were awarded a Master’s Degree in Vision Science concurrently with their OD degree, two students were awarded Accelerated Optometric Degrees, and ten students completed the Advanced Standing International Program and received their Doctor of Optometry degree.

Drs. Thanasis Panorgias and Maureen Hanley served as faculty and student marshals and led the processionals. In attendance were NECO faculty, staff, senior leadership, members of the Board of Trustees, alumni board members, distinguished honorees, and family and friends of the class of 2023.

NECO President and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Howard Purcell welcomed the Class of 2023 and introduced the faculty, staff, Board Members, and special guests in attendance. He shared his top six recommendations for a fulfilling and successful career. Dr. Purcell’s words of wisdom were followed by a warm welcome from Alumni Association President Dr. Cayla Bergstrom ’17 who graciously congratulated the graduates and welcomed them to the Alumni community.

Honorary Degrees and Presidential Medal Awards

Each year, NECO awards honorary degrees upon recommendation of the Board of Trustees to distinguished individuals who have furthered the body of knowledge in eye care, expanded access to eye care in underserved communities, and have made outstanding contributions to the welfare and development of the college or communities in which we serve. This year’s recipient, Dr. Peter Bex, is an innovator and has made outstanding contributions to the profession. Dr. Bex’s work has helped advance the understanding of how our visual system processes information, his research on visual crowding has helped the understanding of how the brain processes visual information when exposed to cluttered environments. Dr. Bex has also conducted groundbreaking work on visual adaptation, developed several clinical tests that are used to diagnose and monitor disorders such as amblyopia and glaucoma or macular degeneration.

Accepting the Degree on behalf of Dr. Peter Bex was Dr. Fuenesta Vera-Diaz, Associate Professor of Optometry and Director of Research. Dr. Vera-Diaz spoke of the contributions Dr. Bex has made to vision science and to optometric education and treatment.

“By honoring Professor Bex today, we celebrate his achievements, but even more so his values, his vision of the world, and an unwavering commitment to help others,” shared Dr. Vera-Diaz. “He exemplifies the very best of what we as human beings can accomplish when we put our hearts and minds into something.”

The NECO Presidential Medal is awarded to eye care professionals or professional groups who have made a unique impact on the College and its constituencies. Dr. Erik Weissberg, Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs, introduced the two worthy recipients. The Presidential Medal of Honor was presented by Dr. Purcell to Children’s Vision MA Coalition and Dr. Sandra Block.

The leadership team of Children’s Vision Massachusetts Coalition was present to accept the award. The leadership includes Danielle Ledoux, MD, Kathy Majzoub, RN, MBA, Bruce Moore, OD, Jean Ramsey, MD, Paulette Tattersall, DipPharm, MSc, and Shanyn Toulouse, DNP, MEd, RN, NCSN. Children’s Vision was designed to raise awareness of the criticality of vision for our children, to support and implement legislation and regulation to improve the vision of children throughout the Commonwealth, and to serve as a model for the nation and the world.

Dr. Bruce Moore spoke on behalf of the Coalition and shared the importance of awareness and implementing change requires a constant effort on the part of unified optometry, ophthalmology, and opticianry. He stated that a main component to its success was ophthalmology and optometry working together from the very beginning more than 30 years ago.

“Together, we must continue to work so that every child has access to vision care to ensure that undetected or untreated vision problems never become an impediment to every parent’s and child’s aspirations and goals in education and in life,” rallies Moore. “To the graduates today, we urge all of you to go forth in your careers with the knowledge and enthusiasm to play an active role in this ongoing effort to provide for the visual health of children in your communities.”

The second recipient of the NECO Presidential Medal was Dr. Sandra Block. Dr. Block is Professor Emeritus at Illinois College of Optometry (ICO), President-elect of the World Council of Optometry and past Global Clinical Advisor, Special Olympics Lions Clubs International Foundation Opening Eyes program. She has authored numerous publications and conducted presentations worldwide. Dr. Block is a past co-chair of the National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health. She shared an important message to remain vigilant on how to best serve patients, how to help advocate for the profession, and most importantly–how to be happy and take care of yourself and your family.

“Graduation is not the end of the story–it is a truly important step in each of your lives,” shares Dr. Block. “It is also only the beginning of the next chapter. The future for you as new colleagues and new optometrists is bright. I just returned from the World Health Organization [it was a meeting focused on uncorrected refractive error]. The door for optometry to be a part of the solution is wide open. We are part of the plan to address correctable visual impairment.”

2023 Class Valedictorians: Ashely Darton, Arianna Kosakowski, Kamila Osypiuk, Amaria Sharon, Shaily Sheth

One outstanding characteristic of the class of 2023 has been their academic excellence. This is evident in the unprecedented fact that this year there is not only one, but five valedictorians who all completed the program with a 4.0 Grade Point Average. This has never happened throughout NECO’s history.

Each of the valedictorians bring unique characteristics and attributes to the NECO community. Dr. Purcell welcomed and recognized these graduates, “…for excelling academically, but also celebrated that individually they contributed so much more to our community than just their grades.”

Ashely Darton, Arianna Kosakowski, Kamila Osypiuk, Amaria Sharon, and Shaily Sheth inspired their classmates and all attendees as they shared the experiences that prepared them for graduation and careers in optometry. Each valedictorian had the opportunity to address their classmates and share in the momentous milestone.

“We struggled, cried, and succeeded together,” reflected Ashley Darton. “I know I speak for the class as a whole by saying that though NECO has helped us build a foundation for a great career, it has also helped us enrich our lives with the friendships we have made in the process.”

“Each graduate in this room has fought for the opportunity to treat and give back to the community through each patient. These patient interactions have led to laughter, tears, and meaningful connections that will forever be imprinted in our memories,” Shaily Sheth said. “Through the highs of patients praising our abilities to deliver effective care and lows of having to deliver difficult diagnoses, we have all grown tremendously personally and professionally.”

“…You completed the rotations, passed the tests, made friendships and more,” said Amaria Sharon, remembering the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic . “You did it from home, you did it when you weren’t sure what the next day might hold, and you did it well. From Zoom classes to mask-wearing to lab pods, you all rose to the occasion to ultimately end up on this stage and achieve your goals.”

“Throughout the past 4 years…It’s definitely been a tough battle, from days where you can’t seem to get anything right, to having to tell your preceptor again that your inferior views on BIO weren’t great,” stated Arianna Kosakowski. “But, we’ve all also had great days, like finding something in the periphery that wasn’t noted before, or seeing a rare condition that you may never even see again…we’ve all experienced the highs and lows of optometry school. And to be graduating here today; it was all worth it.”

“Though we are graduating today, as we move forward into our careers, may we never stop learning and growing, may we stay inspired and motivated to seek knowledge and learn new skills as our profession continues to evolve,” wished Kamila Osypiuk. “We have a bright future ahead of us, and I am so excited to see what each of us will accomplish in the years to come.”

Together on stage, all five of the valedictorians celebrated the accomplishments of the entire class of 2023 and proudly stood together representing the dedication and commitment shown by all graduating at Symphony Hall.

Class of 2023 Hooding and Diplomas

Before the conferring of degrees, Dr. Purcell acknowledged the students who had served on the Student Council for their commitment and contributions to NECO as well as those who received awards for clinical excellence, personal achievement, academic excellence, and scholarship awards. In addition to the award winners, candidates for Residency Certification were also recognized and celebrated. NECO has one of the largest affiliated post-graduate residency programs in the country and a formal ceremony will be held at a separate event in June after the completion of their training.

After this recognition, candidates began to line up to be called on stage. They were hooded on stage by NECO faculty members Drs. Bina Patel and Alexis Malkin as Vice President and Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Erik Weissberg read the names. Dr. Purcell handed out diplomas and was assisted on stage by Ade Owolewa, Executive Student Council Vice President Class of 2025 in the Conferral of Degrees. After the 140 graduates received their Doctoral hood and degree, Assistant Professor of Primary Care, Dr. Benjamin Young, then led the new Doctors in the Optometric Oath.

The graduates excitedly stood and applauded their loved ones in the audience as they turned to graciously cheer their achievements together for the first time as Doctors. The ceremony concluded with the Doctors exiting Symphony Hall and the next chapter begins for the class of 2023.