My name is Alexa-Rai Vanderbeek and I am currently a full-time Opticianry student at Hillsborough Community College. I also work full-time for an Ophthalmology practice that employs me to physically work at an Optometry practice as an Optometric technician. The Optometrist refers many patients back to the Ophthalmology practice for surgery. I love this field and couldn’t be more excited about this career path. Finishing this AS degree program and getting my Optician’s license will be an incredible accomplishment for me. I am a single mother of a ten-year-old little boy and a four-year-old little girl. Deciding to study full time, work full time, as well as taking care of my two little ones was a scary decision to make. One that involves a lot of sacrifices. However, I am certain that this investment in our future will pay off in spades. I want to show my little ones that with persistence and hard work, it’s possible to reach your goals and be successful despite the odds and obstacles. I have always had a heart for young children and the elderly. Caretaking and nurturing are two of my fundamental character traits. Therefore, watching a child put on glasses and see clearly for the first time or assisting an elderly patient to see clearly for the first time in a long time, is an absolute joy and a pleasure. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this field and feel truly blessed. I hope to be a blessing to others as well. Through studying and hard work, I hope to develop skills that are useful and will serve others for years to come. Sight is something that we rely on for almost every practical aspect of our lives. From working, driving, reading, or modern-day communication, vision is essential. Blurred vision, double vision, or partial blindness can be debilitating and dangerous. Being able to offer progressive lenses with multiple focal points, multifocal contact lenses, or monovision contact lenses can bring a patient struggling with presbyopia back to twenty/twenty. Patients with Myopia can instantly see clearer in the distance with single-vision distance glasses making them and others much safer on the road. Hyperopic patients can instantly experience relief from overaccommodating through a proper corrective lens. I’m so glad when I prayed for a career path God gave me clarity of sight to get into the vision care industry and study to become a licensed Optician. I have Myopia. However, I no longer have a myopic point of view and can see ahead of me. What I see is an exciting and lifelong career path.