If you are reading this post, you are probably already interested in optometry. The question I now propose is, “Who really got you excited about this field?”
It’s amazing the impact we can have on one another. We learn, laugh, love, envy, encourage, empathize, and so much more. The latest Netflix show, 13 Reasons Why, shows just how much we really can impact one another. The littlest way we show affection could mean the absolute world to another person. Or, on the other end, the slightest negative remark could truly hurt someone else. What I’m getting at is, maybe you don’t share an intimate relationship with someone, but you think they’re the coolest person ever. That’s kind of how my optometry mentor was.
I had so many different optometrists growing up. I’m not sure why; I’ll have to ask my parents about that! Anyway, I don’t have a good memory as-is, so I don’t even remember all of them, but I have had glasses since elementary school. Obviously, I was going to someone.
Once my mom started working at Walmart, we started going to the optometrist located within that Walmart. (Corporate optometry is expanding before our eyes!) I remember thinking Dr. Nerone was so cool and extremely sweet. I was still unsure of what I wanted to do with my life because I was so young, but she mentioned that I should start looking into optometry. I thank her for the initial suggestion. I got to thinking that helping people see is a pretty cool thing to do. As I talked to her more and more about it, it was finally time to start undergrad.
I knew at this point that optometry was what I wanted to do. I started calling local optometrists around my undergrad to see who I could shadow. This is where my second mentor comes into play. I shadowed Dr. Denbow once a week after classes and around my softball schedule. He’s a very competitive person, and showed me the business side of a private practice.
I am still shadowing Dr. Denbow this summer to keep up on my skills and test my knowledge. He really gets to know his patients. This made me open my eyes as to how important a solid patient base is. Word of mouth travels fast! Anyways, he has been awesome and I can’t thank him enough for all of the insight he has given me throughout my optometry journey.
Sure enough, especially with the help of these two, I made my way into optometry school and I couldn’t be any more happy that I am here at ICO.
I would love to hear your stories of who got you interested and who has impacted you the most within the optometry profession in the comments! Even a little shout out to them will bring a smile to their face!