As 2017 draws to a close, students are drowning their exam sorrows in copious amounts of caffeine, consolidated by thoughts of summer, BBQs and quality beach time around the corner. This marks the 5^th year that NZOSS has been in operation, a progressive year filled with milestones, challenges and rewards.

Right from the beginning, we were thrown into sign-ups and Round the Bays. For the first time we worked with the School of Optometry to run separate orientations for Part 2 students, as well for Part 4s and 5s. We introduced the first ever NZOSS newsletter, ‘The Lookout’, while the biennial NZOSS BBQ, pub crawl and camp were all well-received, and our new buddy system was deemed effective in further bridging the gap between year levels.

We also ran two seminars this year: ‘2017 and Beyond’ was targeted towards senior students with invited speakers providing some insight regarding the industry and our future careers; while ‘How to BOptom’, involved older students talking about their experiences of surviving tests and other shenanigans at optometry school. 

We kicked off the second half of the year with the annual quiz night, attracting the largest turnout to date. The winning team scored free tickets to the hugely anticipated annual EyeBall - a magical night enjoyed by all! We also introduced the inaugural, sponsored NZOSS Cocktail Party, which allowed students to socialise with lecturers and network with professionals in the industry. 

We are getting more and more well-known throughout the optometry community and the overwhelming support and connections from all of you who are reading this column is what keeps us running. Of course, none of this would have been possible without our generous sponsors, the student body and the School of Optometry.

On behalf of the graduating class of 2017, I would like to say a huge thank you to everybody who has supported us, especially the supervisors, lecturers and staff for your endless dedication and patience to teach us and help us grow as clinicians.

Finally, a big thank you to my colleagues on the 2017 executive team for all your hard work. It has been so much fun working with you and getting to know you all. I am so proud of what we have achieved. Best of luck to Nick Lee, NZOSS new president for 2018, and the newly elected committee. The students can’t wait to see what 2018 will bring.

With warmest regards, Alicia