My parent’s one wish for me in life was to make a positive impact along the way. My time at NECO has been a fundamental stepping stone in my journey to accomplish that. I’m currently the AOA PAC Liaison at NECO, an AOA+ Leadership Society Recipient, and enrolled in the Pediatric Concentration program at NECO. I graduated with honors from the University of Florida in 2019.

During my gap years, I worked as a technician in Colorado for a Cortical Vision Impairment clinic, in an underserved population, where my passion for working with the pediatric and special needs population grew. Being raised in a 3rd world country fostered my interest to want to work with those in populations who have limited access to care. In the future, I plan to complete a Pediatric residency so that I can specialize in Pediatric Optometry to improve access and quality of care to others.

There are many places in the U.S that I have yet to discover and I’m excited to see where my journey takes me in the future. My dreams are slowly becoming a reality and I’m thankful to have the support of my family, friends, colleagues, and my NECO family.

-Carissa Fleming