PRESIDENT

Heidi Tao
College: Muir
Major: General Biology
Year: 4th
Hometown: La Mirada, CA

"I have always wanted to be a health professional because taking care of and helping people just made me feel good. I volunteered at Dr. Valenti's Vision Therapy office and immediately loved all the time they got to spend not only treating, but getting to know their patients. Then over the summer, I shadowed a local optometrist back home and experienced my second defining moment -- I looked into an eye and did not know what the heck I was looking at, but I knew I wanted to learn. When school doesn't consume my life, I love reading the classics and Nicholas Sparks (romance...how can you resist?)! I also like playing tennis, eating sushi, and lounging at home watching movies all day."

VICE PRESIDENT

Mimi Phan
College: Warren (Go Earl!!!)
Major: Physiology & Neuroscience with a minor in Psychology
Year: 4th
Hometown: Fountain Valley, CA (the OC!)

“After shadowing an optometrist back at home, I was able to see the interaction between an optometrist and his/her patients. I saw that most patients were able to have a good conservation with their doctor about hobbies, trips, and family. And that the patients really appreciated their doctors for really caring about them. This lead me to look into a career in the Optometric field. I now work at a 5 doctor office and enjoy every moment of it. The people in Insight are so much fun to be around and I love going on trips to optometry colleges with them. Whenever I have free time, I like to snowboard in the winter and to go the beach in the summer. In between, I like to eat delicious foods (sushi, chocolate, Italian), kickbox, and be around family/friends. If I had more time and money I would travel. Someday I hope own a yacht and travel the world.”

SECRETARY

Esmeralda Vizcarra
College: Marshall
Major: Human Biology with a Minor in Health Care Social Issues
Year: 4th
Hometown: Riverside, CA

"Going to an optometrist has always been my favorite health care experience. I enjoy meeting new people all the time and hearing about their lives. The best thing about Insight has to be going on trips to optometry schools with my fellow members. I currently work at the UCSD Shiley Eye Center in the Community Opthalmology Dept. and get to drive out to San Diego county preschools and screen preschool aged kids' vision which is TONS of fun! In my free time I enjoy long walks on the beach(JK!, playing tennis, swimming, and shopping :)"

TRESURER

Nicholai Perez
College:
Major: General Biology Minors: Psychology and Music
Year: 4rd
Hometown: San Diego, CA

SOCIAL CHAIR

Nicole Fox
College: Revelle
Major: Economics
Year: 4th
Hometown: Milpitas, CA

PUBLICITY CHAIR

Risa Sugimoto
College: Sixth
Major: Studio Arts
Year: 4th
Hometown: Rancho Bernado, CA

"I'm a 4th year sixth college student. I'm a studio art major. I became interested in optometry going into my 2nd year. I loved the relationship that my optometrist had with her patients in and outside of the office and I knew that she loved what she was doing and admired her for that. Insight has done SO much for me. I literally knew nothing about optometry but through Insight I gained so much more information, and became to love the field even more."

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Jennifer Truong
College: Marshall
Major: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Year: 3rd
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

"Ahh..there's a whole plethora of reasons why optometry is number one in my heart! I have been visiting my local optometry office every year since first grade and now I can't think of optometry without becoming nostalgic! I remember my first pair of glasses, they were these roundish, squarish, purplish, crimsonish frame that matched the wings of Madam, the first grade pet butterfly. Ever since then I have always been looking forward to my annual visit to optometrist. There is just this aura about the optometry office, in which I feel safe and comfortable. Then in college, I decided to give optometry a shot, I went to my first Insight meeting and I was in love! I volunteered at Shiley Eye Center for a year and then at an optometry office during my freshmen year (in which I was surprised to discover that the optometrist there was also a SCCO professor!) and now I currently work at an optometry office at UTC. I'm constantly discovering new reasons why optometry completes me and I hope it does the same for you! During my free time....what free time?!! Well, every so often I try to squeeze in a nap time. However, I would like to actually leisurely read, do a couple rounds on my unicycle, and just sit under a tree and be carefree like the villagers do in Tanzania."


Richard Brewer
College: Sixth
Major: Human Biology
Year: 3rd
Hometown: San Francisco, CA

"Vision definitely plays an important role in life. In my opinion, having the knowledge and ability to help others with their view of the world would prove most gratifying. Moreover, I am interested in optometry because I can actually apply biology and physics together, which is a stimulating combination of sciences :). Some of my hobbies are: surfing, coaching baseball, reading, watching movies, listening to diverse music, and most importantly, hanging out with family and friends."