Looking back on my admission to the optometry program at Ohio State reminds me how fortunate I was to choose both Ohio State and optometry. Because my grades and test scores were adequate, albeit not spectacular, it seems that I interviewed well, and the college took a chance on me. Thus the die was cast, creating the opportunity for a wonderful and fulfilling career.
Following my optometric training I was fortunate to enroll in the Master’s/Residency in Contact Lenses at Ohio State, which in turn cemented my interest in research and led to my first academic position at the Southern California College of Optometry. As well, that Master’s degree opened other doors, and I tell my current Master’s candidates that it will do the same for them.
The training I received at Ohio State was special, due to the long and storied history of the program and, especially, the culture of academic excellence. The college’s programs lay a solid theoretical foundation that allows development of graduates into top-notch clinicians and even academics, if they so choose. I am particularly grateful to my many mentors, among them Drs. Richard Hill, John Schoessler, William Brown, and Kevin Alexander. Moreover, I am proud of my classmates, Drs. Greg Stephens, Tom Quinn, Mark Smith, and Joe and Pat Benjamin for the many unique impacts they have had on academia and research in vision science and on the profession of optometry.