This is an incredible question. For me, the American Dream means having the opportunity to pursue a demanding yet deeply fulfilling career through education, hard work, and perseverance. As an optometry student, it represents access to high-quality training, professional growth, and the ability to transform dedication into meaningful service and especially for my future patients. The American Dream is deeply reflected in my personal and academic journey, from learning English as a second language to becoming an optometry student. Each step has required perseverance, adaptability, and determination. The long hours of studying, intense clinical training, and personal sacrifices I make today are meaningful investments in a future where I can provide high quality eye care, improve patients’ quality of life, and achieve long-term professional stability. For me, the American Dream is not defined by financial success alone. It is about earning the opportunity to serve others through knowledge, compassion, kindness and responsibility. It represents the ability to grow through education, overcome obstacles, and transform challenges into purpose. By pursuing optometry, I am not only building a career, but also fulfilling a vision of service, using my skills to make a real and lasting impact on the lives of my patients and the communities I serve. The American Dream also means independence to me. It’s about being able to rely on my own effort, education, and motivation to build a stable life and a career I truly care about. It gives me the freedom to choose a path that matches my values and allows me to help others in a meaningful way. I’ve learned that challenges and setbacks are part of the process, but instead of stopping me, they’ve pushed me to grow, learn, and become stronger both personally and professionally. By pursuing a career in healthcare, I hope to transform education into compassionate care, using my training to improve lives and support communities. In this way, the American Dream is not only about achieving a better future for myself, but also about creating a lasting, positive difference in the lives of those I serve. Ultimately, the American Dream means using education as a powerful pathway to personal growth, independence, and positive impact. Education has given me not only knowledge, but also confidence, discipline, and the ability to envision a future shaped by purpose rather than limitation. Through learning, I have gained the tools to challenge myself, adapt to new environments, and grow both professionally and personally.

Mental health has played a significant role in my education, the moment final exams approach, I can feel the pressure build and not just academically, but mentally. As a second-year optometry student, the intensity of coursework, exams, and clinical expectations can be overwhelming, and I quickly realized that success in this field requires more than studying harder and long nights studying it also requires taking care of my mental health, and how i did that? Well, when I began my second year in Puerto Rico, I was adjusting to a new environment far from my family in Charlotte, North Carolina. Recognizing that this transition added to my stress, I made the decision early on to seek professional support. I began seeing a psychologist every two weeks, and it has been one of the most impactful decisions I’ve made since starting optometry school. I noticed a significant improvement not only in my mental well-being, but also in my academic performance, especially in my ability to focus, retain information, and stay engaged in class. Through this process, I learned the importance of slowing down, asking for help, and allowing myself time to reset. Like many students if im not mistaken, I once believed that taking breaks was a waste of valuable study time. However, my psychologist shared a simple analogy that stayed with me until now: “ If you don’t schedule a break, your body will take one for you, and it wont be a convenient time.” That perspective changed everything on me. Without mental rest, information becomes harder to retain, and short-term memory can suffer and something especially concerning in a demanding field like optometry, where long term knowledge is essential for board exams and patient care. Taking care of my mental health has been just as important as mastering academic content. As George Carlin once said, “Just when I discovered the meaning of life, they changed it.” That quote reminds me that growth is ongoing. I’ve learned that true success isn’t defined solely by achievements, but by self-awareness, intentional growth, and understanding my own limits and values. These lessons have helped me become a stronger student, and I’m genuinely proud of the person I am becoming. I strongly believe that if everyone, especially those pursuing careers in healthcare, prioritized mental health stability, they would not only be healthier themselves, but also become more compassionate, focused, and effective with their patients in the future.

When I think about why I chose to pursue a career in optometry, I immediately return to the small optical shop my parents built together in Ecuador. My mother was the optometrist, and my father handled the business side. It was a modest place just a few chairs, a display of glasses, and a small exam area but to me, it was magical. As a child, I spent countless afternoons watching my mother work with patients, helping them see clearly again. The smiles on their faces when they put on their new glasses for the first time left a deep impression on me. That small shop was not just a business; it was a place where lives were improved, one pair of glasses at a time. After my father passed away unexpectedly, everything changed. My mother, with incredible strength and resilience, kept the shop running while raising three children on her own. She worked long hours and never gave up. My brother, inspired by her example, went to optometry school in Colombia. When he returned, he transformed that humble optical shop into a full-service clinic, bringing in two ophthalmologists and expanding the range of care offered to the community. Watching my mother and brother dedicate themselves to helping others despite adversity taught me the values of hard work, perseverance, and service. They are my greatest role models and the reason I chose to follow this path. Six years ago, I moved to the United States in search of better opportunities. I arrived with hope in my heart and a strong determination to build a better future. Learning a new language and adjusting to a completely different culture was not easy, but I embraced the challenge. I enrolled in English classes, worked hard academically, and earned my associate degree in Biological Science. I also became a Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA), which allowed me to gain hands on experience in the eye care field. Every patient I assisted and every doctor I observed reaffirmed my passion for optometry. In 2024, one of my biggest dreams came true: I was accepted into the Inter American University School of Optometry in Puerto Rico on my very first application. It was a moment of joy and validation for all the sacrifices and hard work I had invested over the years. As a first generation college student in the U.S., this achievement carried even more weight. I am now in my second year of optometry school, and each day I feel more confident that I am exactly where I am meant to be. Optometry, to me, is more than a career it is a mission. I am drawn to the science behind vision, but even more so to the human side of care: the opportunity to connect with people, improve their quality of life, and give them the gift of clear sight. I’ve seen firsthand how vision care can empower individuals and strengthen families. I’ve seen it in my mother’s patients, in my brother’s clinic, and in the faces of the people I’ve had the privilege to help as a COA. My goal is to become a compassionate, skilled optometrist who gives back to the community and honors the legacy of my family. I want to make my mother proud, continue the work she started, and inspire others just as she and my brother inspired me. I believe that with hard work, empathy, and dedication, I can make a meaningful difference in the lives of others one patient at a time.