Too blessed to be stressed

It’s no secret that grad school, medical school, optometry school, and just about any professional school involves a hefty amount of work, which, of course, induces stress. Why go through all of this stress you may ask? Well, for some, school comes naturally, for others, it’s the dream of helping others, and for many, it’s all about following the dream.

I’ve dreamt of the day I would sit in my respective Optometry school’s classrooms, but never did I imagine to be so fortunate as to attend THE Ohio State University. The name definitely holds a profound amount of prestige, and as I make my way through exploring the campus and all that Columbus has to offer, I find myself realizing that I am indeed too blessed to be stressed.

Optometry school has been my dream since high school. When I attended some of my very first freshmen biology courses in undergrad, I wondered if that dream would remain possible. I should know better than to even doubt myself minutely, because giving up is not in my nature. I think that’s something everyone in the class of 2021 has in common; we’re no quitters, and we fought to get here. Our perseverance is alive in well as we trek every day to Fry 22.

We are too blessed to be stressed because no matter how many exams are thrown at us, how many hours of labs we attend, how many mistakes we make, how much money is spent on tuition, we have made it to a point in life that not many people get to partake in. We are in the process of becoming the future primary care providers of vision, and that is a privilege. We are endowed with so much knowledge (sometimes so much that we feel our brains might leak onto the table right there in front of us). We hold the future in our hands. It’s not all about the grades, the numbers, or the person who already knows how to work a slit lamp or a Fundus camera. It’s about the journey, and I am so excited to continue this journey with the class of 2021.