MAY IS ALWAYS A cool time in our practice — the energy, the families, the graduations, the reminders of why we do what we do. As a new class of optometry school graduates embark on an amazing career, this year I wanted to consider the “state of the union” of our profession, because this moment isn’t just about who knows the most on their board exam; it’s about who steps up.
My path to optometry didn’t start in a lecture hall. It started in second grade with my first pair of glasses. They were crooked, always broken, and a constant nuisance for a kid who danced and cheered. My mom begged a friend — an optometrist — to fit me with contact lenses early. That moment changed everything. And to this day, giving a child confidence and freedom, planting possibility, remains one of my favorite things to do.
What followed wasn’t a straight line. I worked the front desk, became a technician, then a scribe, and eventually pursued optometry school. More than any single opportunity, it was proximity to mentors that shaped me — coaches, friends, teachers, professors.
From the beginning I knew I wanted to own a practice. I became an associate, bought in as a partner, and today, after the founding OD’s retirement, I lead a practice alongside two incredible associates. I’m also building a tech company to support our industry and keep patients connected to practices. What we’re building didn’t start with me, and that’s the point: leadership, when done right, outlives you.
As we welcome another graduating class, this is an invitation to everyone: dream bigger.
Graduation adds letters to your name and places you in positional leadership. What separates the great ones is what comes next: transformational leadership. It’s how you think, lead, communicate, and show up every day for yourself first and those around you.
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Leadership starts with a vision that should outlive you. Then come the goals you pursue one by one — all supported by core values that evolve over time. Maybe you buy into a practice and carry it forward. Maybe you build one from scratch. Maybe you see a gap in the industry and create something entirely new. Your title may give you authority, but your personal growth determines your impact.
Growth doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens by joining networking groups beyond optometry — BNI, the Chamber of Commerce — and surrounding yourself with people who think differently. It happens when you attend conferences in dental care, audiology, or leadership. It grows when you find mentors and become a mentor. Mentorship is a two-way street: you don’t just take; you contribute, show up, and invest back.
One day you’ll have your own full-circle moment. When mine came, I reflected on my journey and asked myself: Did I do enough? Did I pour into others? Did I take the chances
I was given? Those are the questions leadership leaves you with.
So as we celebrate a new class of leaders this month and the kids sitting in our chairs now, remember this: each of us has an opportunity to shape future leaders every single day — through how we train our staff, the opportunities we give them, and the belief we instill before they see it in themselves.
As Dr. Millicent Knight taught me, leadership is having one hand reaching up, always growing, and one hand reaching down, always lifting others. It’s connection over competition, courage over comfort, compassion over ego. If we get this right, the next generation won’t just inherit our industry — they will elevate it, just as those before us did.
So when you grow up, who do you want to be?
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