A series of articles written by SCCO Student Ambassadors.

Reflections After My First Year: What EYE Love About SCCO

by SCCO Student Ambassador, Denise Trieu

Throughout my academic journey, I never felt like I belonged. I never felt comfortable enough to form genuine relationships with my classmates and professors. I simply couldn’t find a community within my high school or undergraduate university.

However, that has not been the case at SCCO.

 It is no secret that SCCO excels in terms of its curriculum, amazing clinical education, and its legacy. Nevertheless, what always stood out to me throughout all my research of optometry programs, and experiences speaking with OD students and alumni, is SCCO’s incredibly supportive and nurturing environment. I attended many admissions events for other institutions, but none of them made me as comfortable and secure as SCCO. From the students to the faculty and admissions team, I was always met with a greatly welcoming community of people, and everyone I had spoken to vouched for its positive and comforting atmosphere. Despite only being a prospective student at the time, SCCO provided me with an immense sense of support and empowerment. The amount of care that goes into all the admissions events, correspondence, and interview days made it evident to me that as an optometry student I would receive that same abundance of support and help! And after finishing my first year at SCCO, I can wholeheartedly affirm that all this still rings true!

Without hesitation, I can say what I overarchingly love about SCCO is its community of students, faculty, administration, and everyone in between. From the inside and out, SCCO carries warmth and comfort that I have not experienced from any school before.

The location of the school is perfect – sitting in sunny Southern California and neighboring other colleges and universities, you will never be at a loss of things to do, diverse restaurants to try, and places to explore such as the beach or amusement parks! The campus is quaint and cozy and getting to see familiar faces and smiles every day always makes school feel less dauting. Even the campus security will wish you luck on your way to exams or proficiencies!

At the heart of SCCO’s community are all the students. I adore my peers, classmates, and all the other optometry students I have had the honor of getting to know. I have met some of the most brilliant, compassionate, and unique individuals and they all inspire me every day. Even in times of immense stress and pressure, everyone remains incredibly supportive, helpful, and kind. SCCO’s curriculum truly encourages its students to collaborate, learn, and flourish together, and diminishes the ascent of competition; with free tutoring, and outside of class practice hours where you can receive help from upperclassmen, guidance is always accessible and enthusiastically provided. I am so unwaveringly grateful that SCCO has brought me these meaningful connections and lifelong friendships.

In addition to the myriads of resources available to students, to ensure our success, our professors go above and beyond to make themselves available to provide extra help and to constantly improve the curriculum to keep up with the advancement of optometry. Whether it be with late night review sessions, or pastries and snacks in lecture to make sure you have the fuel to learn, the faculty at SCCO are all exceptional and genuinely care about the future and wellbeing of their students. They treat us like future colleagues and because of this, the faculty are incredibly approachable and feel like mentors or friends. Some of them will even take you up on an invitation to play pickleball or golf outside of school!

SCCO welcomed me into its community long before I even became a student here, and now as a second year, I can sincerely say that this school feels like my second family. I will forever hold the greatest gratitude for the opportunity to grow and pursue my dreams of becoming an optometrist here!

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