Annie Kikhamsouk, a third-year student in UMSL’s College of Optometry, was recently awarded a scholarship by the American Academy of Optometry. She was also chosen as a 2026-27 Johnson & Johnson ACUVUE Student Intern. (Photo by Derik Holtmann)
When Annie Kikhamsouk first got an email saying she’d received the J. Pat Cummings Scholarship from the American Academy of Optometry, she assumed it was a phishing scam.
It wasn’t until Kikhamsouk, a third-year student in the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Optometry, went to speak with Dr. Julie DeKinder, the associate dean of academic programs, that she realized the email might actually be legit. DeKinder congratulated Kikhamsouk on receiving the scholarship, which is sponsored by Johnson & Johnson Vision and bestowed annually to second- or third-year optometry students who “best demonstrate the ideal eye care standards of practice, achievement in both academic performance and extracurricular activities, and participation with other professional pursuits such as involvement with patients through internships, community service and other volunteer activities.”
“It was one of those things where you’re just so thankful,” Kikhamsouk said. “When Dr. DeKinder told me that a few of the faculty had selected me, it made me feel that my hard work was being seen. There are days where I feel so bogged down – everything gets thrown on me on that Monday, or maybe my clinic skills aren’t as good as they could be. I was so appreciative that the faculty could see that I am doing my best, I am working hard. I was truly humbled and thankful to Johnson and Johnson vision for providing me with the scholarship, after I got it around my head that it was not a scam.”
Kikhamsouk, who grew up near San Antonio, Texas, earned her undergraduate and master’s degrees at the University of Texas at San Antonio and always knew she wanted to pursue a career in healthcare. After shadowing in a few different fields, she felt that optometry was the right fit and ultimately chose UMSL’s College of Optometry for its warm, personable feel. The college’s small class size was heavily emphasized during the interview process, and that close-knit community has been a hallmark of Kikhamsouk’s time in the program. She’s found a great group of friends in her fellow third-years, including her best friend and study partner Hiba Zaidi, who she can count on for support and accountability while also making time to unwind at bimonthly board game nights and the occasional BTS concert.
Both Kikhamsouk and Zaidi were recently chosen to represent UMSL Optometry as 2026-27 Johnson & Johnson ACUVUE Student Interns at the Johnson & Johnson Vision Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. In late September, the pair spent a weekend touring the company’s manufacturing facility, learning more about the global brand and gaining hands-on experience fitting patients with multifocal contact lenses alongside Johnson & Johnson optometrists.
Kikhamsouk has also stayed busy with several student organizations in the college, serving as treasurer for UMSL’s chapters of Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity and the American Optometric Student Association and a member of Beta Sigma Kappa and Private Practice Club. Through SVOSH, she’s volunteered at events throughout the community, from local elementary schools to the Saint Louis Science Center. Next year, during her fourth-year externships, she hopes to be able to participate in one of SVOSH’s humanitarian trips delivering eye care in schools, Native American reservations and refugee resettlement institutions across the country.
“We get to bring free eye care to low socioeconomic areas, and that’s amazing because that’s something so important to me,” Kikhamsouk said. “I grew up in a family that didn’t have a lot, and so being able to come full circle again to provide eye care in a way that serves a community that may not get the chance to get glasses at a regular rate, and then I get to go and help them out? That’s a win-win.”
This past summer, Kikhamsouk began her clinical work, which she said is building gradually as she sees up to four or five patients on a busy day. She’s found faculty members in the College of Optometry, including Dr. Ashley Tary, Dr. Coral Dundon and Dr. Patrick Stark in particular, to be incredibly knowledgeable and supportive as they help break down complex cases in an approachable way.
“There’s a reason that people really gravitate to this place,” Kikhamsouk said. “Even when they’re on the fence, they come to UMSL because the faculty is just so kind, and they’re willing to work with you. And I feel like that’s something that you really can’t get at a bigger school. At another school, it’s almost like a factory – you have to keep going, trucking, trucking, trucking. But here, after I see a patient, I get to break down their chart with faculty. They tell me what to improve on, and I feel like I’m actually really learning what I need to learn from the cases that I’m seeing.”
Kikhamsouk is keeping her options open for the future, knowing that her fourth-year externship rotations will likely help her narrow down her focus. She’s interested in completing a residency, especially in ocular disease or specialty contact lenses, but for now is concentrating on boards.
Balancing the demands of rigorous optometry coursework, clinical training, extra-curricular activities and community service can be challenging, but the rewarding patient interactions keep her going.
She still vividly remembers one patient who had experienced sudden onset vision loss from age-related macular degeneration and was dismayed not to be able to read anymore. Working alongside Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Jessica Broodryk, Kikhamsouk calculated the patient’s prescription and was able to find a magnifier that helped her read again.
“You should have seen her expression,” Kikhamsouk said. “She was so excited to finally finish her book. That was one of the moments where I was like, ‘This is exactly why I’m doing this.’ You’re looking at an elderly patient that had something taken away, doesn’t have much family and just wants something a little familiar in her life. That small magnifier made a world of difference for her. And that was something that I’m never going to forget.”
