While a Doctor of Optometry student at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University, Kirsten Tran ‘27OD has participated in Remote Area Medical (RAM) screenings and a service trip to Jamaica in the fall of 2025 with the PCO/Drexel chapter of the Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH), of which she serves as vice president. She is also president of the College’s chapter of the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA).
Tran has been awarded the J. Pat Cummings Scholarship from the American Academy of Optometry Foundation (AAOF) and the Salus University Provost’s Scholarship, a holistic award valued at $12,000 per year.
In a wide-ranging interview, Tran talked about several topics relevant to PCO students:
Q: Why did you choose to be an optometrist?
A: I actually went into undergrad thinking I wanted to do research and I wanted to study the environment and ecosystems. But I hated research, so I didn't know what I wanted to do. A friend just offhandedly mentioned optometry - I had no idea what it was. I wasn't wearing glasses at the time, so I chose to shadow a random optometrist. And, then after maybe a couple of months of working and shadowing with some, I really fell in love with the field (profession).
Q: Why did you choose the Pennsylvania College of Optometry?
A: I think it was far enough away from home that I could be independent, but close enough that on Thanksgiving or the holidays I could travel home and see my family. Then, the school itself has a really good clinical education. I really loved learning in The Eye Institute in our first year.
Q: You mentioned being a part of some other student organizations. Tell us about those.
A: I am vice president of the PCO/Drexel chapter of the Student Optometric Service to Humanity (SOSH), so it's been busy. We do a lot of fundraising throughout the year to try to raise money, for last year’s mission trip to Jamaica where we helped underserved communities. We offered patients there free eye exams and glasses so there's a wide variety of services we'll offer.
Q: Was that your first mission trip? What did you learn?
A: Yes, it was. The experience helped me strengthen my technical skills – particularly direct ophthalmoscopy, which we’ve rarely used at The Eye Institute at this point.
I also learned to think critically and problem-solve during refractions, as many patients presented with pathology that required extra care and adaptability to find the best prescription. Most importantly, the trip taught me the value of teamwork. I built strong connections with my peers and faculty from PCO, as well as the rest of the team, and I believe that my ability to collaborate and form meaningful relationships will greatly contribute to my future success as an optometrist.
Q: You're a scholarship recipient. Tell us what it means to receive a scholarship for graduate school and how you've been able to utilize that once you got here.
A: I'm always busy. I think the last thing that I want to have on my mind is worrying about making the tuition payments and having a roof over my head so it's really nice to be able to receive these scholarships. It puts those concerns a little bit on the back burner and I can focus on my education, my extracurriculars, and even just enjoying life outside of school.
Q: Do you think that scholarships are important for all students?
A: I think they're definitely important for all students because the cost of education obviously is not cheap. It is something, and I probably speak for a lot of people, that kind of looms over our head for a lot of our education. Every semester we have to take out more loans and it's scary. It's a big number. So, even a little bit of scholarship money goes a long way toward relieving some of that stress and it helps in the long run.
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