Diagrams and equations are intimidating for sure, but with a little time and effort, they’ll become your best friend.

Change is scary. Scratch that. Scary isn’t a strong enough word. Change is cripplingly terrifying! After spending the past six years confronting nothing but change, I figured I was prepared for anything. I assumed that my series of brief stints as a vagabond, a substitute teacher, a packaging engineer intern, an EMT-B and a research associate had given me the skills to cope with anything that life had in store for me. I felt uniquely equipped to face the challenges associated with transitioning to optometry school with resounding ease. After six weeks of school, I realize how foolish and naive my original false sense of security was. Don’t get me wrong, I’m living out my dream, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t terrifying at times. Self-doubt and the fear of failure are often closely linked to change (in fact, they love to brunch together on Sundays). What if I say or do the wrong thing? How then, could I earn the respect and admiration from the brilliant, charming and witty professors that I hold in such high esteem? The same goes for my new classmates, all of whom are smart and captivating. The pressure to engage and impress such a diverse mix of wonderful people can result in a lot of cringe inducing ‘foot in mouth’ moments. I haven’t even begun to mention the bounty of complex material and threat of impending midterms! Scary, right? Yes, but at the same time, I’ve never been more excited about anything in my life. Life is full of change and the unknown is inherently frightening, but the ability to meet life’s challenges and persevere is what allows us to become a better version of ourselves. The next four years will be the most transformative years of my life and based on what I’ve experienced from my first several weeks of school, I’m excited to embrace life’s new challenges and begin this four-year journey surrounded by such an incredible group of people. I look forward to conquering my fears, immersing myself in the world of optometry and making memories that will last a lifetime with my new family, the class of 2020. It’s a good time to be Buckeye! O-H!