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Shymaa Mohamed ‘26OD didn’t follow any special prep for the 2025 Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), Salus at Drexel University Quiz Bowl – she simply relied on staying focused in class.
“The information in the Quiz Bowl is cumulative of what you’ve learned. If you are taking steps during the classes to comprehend the information and understand it well, then I think one would do well in the Quiz Bowl,” said Mohamed.
She was right. That’s the approach she took, ended up being PCO’s winner, and will represent PCO at the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) Student Bowl XXXIV national event in June 2026 in Phoenix. Anna German ‘26OD, who is in the Accelerated Scholars Doctor of Optometry program, will represent PCO in the 2025 AOSA event this June in Minneapolis.
Other PCO students who participated in the local Quiz Bowl included Blythe Best-Raynor ‘27OD, Emmerson Romero ‘27OD, and Sachin Jeyeraj ‘28OD. Judges for the on-campus event included Ashley Maglione, OD ‘15, Resident ‘16; Kevin McClure, OD ‘19; and Melissa Trego, OD ‘04, Resident ‘09, PhD.
Mohamed called the competition “fun” and said it was a way to see where each person is at their optometric education compared to other students. And, she believes the Quiz Bowl reaffirmed her decision to come to PCO.
“It’s (PCO) a well-known and respected optometry school and it has a very long history,” said Mohamed, whose goal is to work in low vision. “And, its students start in the clinic (The Eye Institute) earlier than other schools. I wanted to have that chance.”
Although she has some time to prepare for the national Quiz Bowl, she understands it will be an even more intense competition than the local event. “I’ll need to be very prepared for the nationals, that’s for sure,” said Mohamed.
In addition to the AOSA, the local event was supported by the Pennsylvania Optometric Student Association (POSA) and the Pennsylvania Optometric Association (POA).
