Andrew Steele is a student at The Ohio State University College of Optometry in the Class of 2015. Andrew is a Trustee on the American Optometric Student Association Board of Trustees. He was born and raised in Kentucky and completed his Bachelor’s degree at Western Kentucky University in Biology and Chemistry. He has been happily married since 2008 to his wife Sarah, and they have beautiful two sons, Asher (3) and Preston (7 months). He mentioned he feels privileged to serve on the Board of Trustees representing Ohio State. In addition, he has been selected as the national 
liaison for AOA-PAC and he looks forward to serving the interests of our field.
OS: What has been the best part about being a member of the AOSA Board of Trustees?
Andrew: I have most enjoyed the opportunity to meet others who share my passion for this profession across the nation. The insight I receive into the direction of optometry is invaluable.
OS: What do you think is the best advantage that AOSA brings to students?
Andrew: The opportunity to be unified and informed as a whole student body. A united body has significant power and influence and AOSA’s influence in the optometry community should not be underestimated.
OS: What have you learned from being apart of the AOSA Board of Trustees?
Andrew: That there is a real sense of family, not only within the AOSA, but within the profession.
OS: What do you think is the best way for optometry students to get involved in optometry outside of school life?
Andrew: All optometry students must recognize getting involved has a significant impact upon their personal success and career. Stay informed. Aspects of your career are likely changing daily. Be a part of the process. Participate in all optometry-related conferences you possibly can; there are plenty of travel grants and opportunities for funding.
OS: The AOSA just hired a new executive director, the highly qualified Mr. Bob Foster. Tell us how excited you are about this and what it means for the AOSA.
Andrew: Bob’s experience cannot be understated. The connections he has made and the relationships he has formed throughout the industry are extremely valuable to this organization. And I don’t believe Bob will be satisfied with the status quo. I am excited to see his efforts and foresee him opening many new doors.
OS: What are your plans after graduating optometry school?
Andrew: I intend to return to my home state of Kentucky to practice full-scope optometry, ideally joining a multidisciplinary group. What I do know for sure is that I will stay involved and contribute on the state and national level of AOA and AOA-PAC.
OS: Tell us one interesting fact about yourself.
Andrew: I lived two years in northeastern Brazil and speak fluent Portuguese.
OS: If you were stranded on a tropical island what is the one item you would bring?
Andrew: Does my family count as one item? That’d be a no-brainer…Otherwise, if I had to choose a single tangible object, I would choose a Kindle, jam-packed with a stellar library.
OS: Thank you Andrew for speaking with us and giving us an insight to the AOSA Board of Trustees! We encourage other optometry students to get involved in optometry in an area that interests you just like Andrew did.
