A Commitment to My Appalachian Community

During undergrad, I began shadowing an optometrist to explore my career options, and from there I was hooked. Now, I’m in my first year of optometry school at the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO), with the goal of opening my own private practice in my Appalachian community when I graduate. 

With entering private practice top of mind, I explored opportunities to become more involved once I began optometry school so I could grow my leadership skills, including joining my school’s private practice club and the board for the Fellowship of Christian Optometrists. Even though I’m only in my first year of optometry school, I’ve already seen the immense value of joining organizations like these early on and becoming a part of a collaborative network of other eye care professionals. 

VSP Vision is a vital part of this network and provides valuable resources to optometric students like me, including scholarships and networking opportunities to help us advance in our careers after optometry school. By investing in students, VSP instills in us a sense of validation and demonstrates that they are there to support us every step of the way during our optometric careers. 

Throughout my journey thus far, I’ve learned how close-knit the optometric community is and the incredible opportunity we have to build relationships with our local communities to provide the best possible patient care. This is especially true for my community in Appalachia. Growing up in West Virginia, I’ve seen that relationships are number one—everybody knows everybody in my town. I see the same sense of togetherness in optometry, which has inspired me to eventually come back to Appalachia and open my own private practice so I can make a direct impact and help my hometown get access to the eye care they need. 

I was fortunate to win the $5,000 Vision of Hope Scholarship from VSP, which is awarded to a student who is committed to practicing in the Appalachian region. I felt like I was the perfect candidate for this because I'm so proud of Appalachia, and receiving this scholarship validates my goal to provide care for the underserved populations in this region. I hope to leave my legacy as a Doctor of Optometry who is proud of where he is from and did the best possible job he could to care for his community. 

As Eye See It, this is just the beginning of my journey to give back to the people in the community that I’m proud to call home.