Sometimes losing a dear friend, leaves you looking for your own purpose in life. I was fortunate enough to find mine in opticianry .I aspire to make a positive impact on my community as my job is vital in ensuring proper sight . Opticianry is a job of service that I will continue to grow in by connecting to the every-day, hardworking people of my community . Let me begin by how I started my journey and then I’ll explain more. As a college student with no clear direction, I had stepped into the America’s best store in my town. I was a first time contact lens wearer and needed to make sure my eyes were healthy enough for the endless online assignments that college ensued. After sitting down to complete my contact class , the man who was helping me who I thought was a regular associate , turned out to be the hiring manager . I was told I should apply even though I no experience . Months later I applied . It was one of the best decisions of my life . That hiring manager Bryan , became one of my mentors. Along with Brian the general manager, mariah the now licensed optician, and Daniel. These people helped shape my new career and sparked my interest in the optical world as it called for innovation and critical thinking with problem solving . I wanted to be like them by connecting to the people in their communities through helping them see properly . Fast forward two years , I was on my way to being licensed with becoming an apprentice under Dr.Mujeeb. Within the first two years of working in optical I dove right in passing not only my ABO board exam but also my NCLE . I worked my way up from part time to shift lead key holder , and am on the fast track to getting licensed . My passion grew as I learned the role along with gaining a deeper understanding for the significance of our work . It became evident that I was exactly where I needed to be . My graduation for college had passed within those years but I decided to become licensed still so I could combine it with my skill set from my degree . One person in particular that I want to mention is my good late friend Daniel Otero Perez . He was one of the licensed opticians who impacted me the most during my shaping years in Opticianry . I only had the pleasure of working with him for a short while before his passing in February 2022 , but his impression will last forever. Daniel was a charismatic person with the passion for debates and was the “class clown” of the office . His ability to easily connect with his patients was something I admired deeply. To this day, we have patients for ask about him and tell us how great he was. The experiences he had with those around h was so profound that corporate closed down the store so everyone could attend his service . I can only hope to have this impression on those around me by sharing my knowledge and having the empathy required for this line of work. As I said , sometimes losing a dear friend makes you understand that you are in fact , in the right path in life.