Emalea Deschamps is this month’s CAOS Student Doctor of the Month! Emalea is a third-year student, serving as last year’s president of AZCOPT’s CAOS Chapter. She did a wonderful job at keeping everything organized and fun! She was responsible for an amazing Canadian Thanksgiving turnout, resulting in more interest for CAOS in subsequent years. She has been a positive influence on Canadian students studying in the US with aspirations to go back and practice in Canada. Emalea is an active part of the AZCOPT community – on top of serving as CAOS president, she is a part of the Christian Optometry Club, Contact Lens Club, and Beta Sigma Kappa. She has taken every opportunity possible to serve the community, by going out and volunteering with the clubs she has been a part of, adding value to the community.
On top of her many extracurricular achievements, she has maintained an excellent academic standing, taking time out of her busy schedule to tutor other optometry students. Emalea is encouraging, kind hearted, and invested in the well-being of other members of the AZCOPT community as much as her own. Amidst all of her commitments, she still finds time to delve into research while working at Midwestern University’s Eye Institute.
During her free time, Emalea likes to enjoy the beauty of Phoenix! She loves to find new spots around the area, with a special knack finding fun, free things. Even after living in the Phoenix area for 3 years, she discovers a way to find new and exciting things, touring the city with every opportunity she has. Nonetheless, following graduation, she hopes to go back to Western Canada and practice in rural communities. Having come from a rural town, she understands the importance of reaching out to underserved populations. With her degree, she hopes to help with healthcare access in rural areas.
Her light and ambition for optometry shine through every day. We are so lucky to have such a genuine, warm-hearted, and hard-working member of the AZCOPT community – we are excited and proud to have her as our CAOS Student of the Month.