Ellington

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I didn't have any idea. I had no aspirations at all. I was a senior in college when I realized what I wanted to do. I was a pre-med major. I shadowed a family doctor, and I realized I didn't want to do that. I stumbled across optometry. ... I was an officer in a pre-med society when I heard an optometrist speak. I asked her questions, and she advised me to shadow an optometrist, and the rest is history.

Describe your workday in three words.

Intense, laid-back sometimes, fulfilling.

What tools could you not live or work without?

I have to have passion, and I have to be caring. It shows when you care.

What steps brought you to this position?

(In my last year at Holmes Community College in Goodman), I had a vision. I saw what I wanted out of life. I pushed myself to the next level. I thought, "If I could go to school (two or) four years, maybe I can go six, then maybe eight." It was a gradual progression to where I could get to the point of becoming a doctor. I envisioned what was my ideal place to work, and I thought of owning my own clinic. I own clinics in Pearl, Jackson and Hazelhurst. At first I wanted to own my practice, then own multiple practices, then own a chain of practices.

What's the strangest aspect of your job?

What strikes me most is the lack of knowledge people have on the importance of eyes. People think, "If we see OK, then our eyes are OK," but that's not the case. People need to be educated on that. Sometimes we have to send patients to the emergency room. ... It's a challenging aspect.

What's the best thing about your job?

Being able to make a difference and helping people in my own little way. I enjoy interacting with my patients. I get to know some of them well. Also, my job is not very stressful.

What advice would you have for others who would like to become an optometrist?

The main thing to keep in mind is to figure out what you would do for free. Figure out what your passion is. That's what you should go in to. That way you won't feel like you're going to work. You won't dread it, because it's something you enjoy doing.