Throughout my life I have worked hard to prepare myself for one day becoming a doctor
of optometry. I have lived in ways that developed my intellectual curiosity and social skills while
obtaining significant experience in optometric settings. Along with learning the sciences, I
explored other disciplines as a liberal arts student to understand different perspectives. In order to
increase my reading and writing abilities and develop an academic skill set that will aid in my
lifelong learning process, I pursued a degree in history.
I honed leadership, networking and other social skills through my undergraduate
participation in a social fraternity. For example, I was elected Associate Member Instructor
during my sophomore year. It was my responsibility to educate and prepare new members to join
the organization. The recruitment class I mentored was the largest in the history of our fraternity.
To be successful, I organized weekly meetings and met individually with each new member. The
following spring the members awarded me Fraternity Man of the Year. Given to the individual
who most demonstrates the ideals of the fraternity and exemplifies brotherhood.
I have worked in three different optometric practices during my career. My experiences
gave me first hand exposure to optometric patient care and solidified my desire to one day join
this profession. One doctor that influenced my decision to pursue optometry is Dr. Steven Sloan
O.D. From Dr. Sloan, I learned the importance of being able to relate to each patient on a
personal level and to establish strong personal bonds. I have also seen a very strong commitment
to patient care from Dr. Sloan. On numerous occasions, he went into the office late at night or on
the weekends to see a patient in an emergency situation. It is inspiring to see how he is putting
patients first. Dr. Sloan always makes sure that the patients understand their treatments and
leave the office with confidence about their experience.
Dr. Roger Fitch O.D. instilled in me a greater understanding of creativity and true passion
for optometry. In the 4 years that I spent working at his office, he continually demonstrated how
each patient required unique treatments. Dr. Fitch would listen to each patients stories and
compose a unique treatment to enhance their overall eye care experience. Dr. Fitch exemplified
his pursuit of innovation and enhancement of patient care by taking the initiative to develop a
vision therapy program in his own office after becoming aware of the growing community need.
The most significant inspirations for me came from my time spent as a vision therapist.
While every patient that I worked with serves as an inspiration, there is one patient that stands
out among the rest. Tim had been diagnosed with convergence and accommodative insufficiency
and recommended for therapy. From the beginning to the end of the program Tim underwent
dramatic changes in eye control and self-esteem. Tims grades improved from Cs and Ds before
the program to As and Bs after. Tim told me he began to incorporate vision therapy into his
fencing and had been designated as a nationally ranked fencer. Tim had attributed his success in
the classroom and in fencing to the vision therapy program. Tim then gave me a golden medal
with Mark Fischer Vision Therapist of Champions inscribed on the back. My experience with
Tim resulted in greater appreciation for the work being done by optometrists and eye care
professionals. It made me realize not only vision is being improved, but lives are being changed.
As an optometrist, I hope to make changes in peoples lives in ways similar to Tims. I
want to exemplify Dr. Fitch continuing to innovate using my diverse learning background to find
the best solutions for my patients. I am motivated to create an atmosphere of learning and
treatment that creates personal bonds and trust with patients as Dr. Sloan. At this point I am most
interested in pursuing a career in behavioral optometry. I will utilize my multi-faceted
educational background and personal skills to increase the reach of optometry and increase
patient involvement and awareness. I believe that my creativity, knowledge, personal skills and
immense passion for optometry make me a unique candidate that could provide positive changes
in this growing field.
