Young Alumni

Mariah Sandy

Major and Degree: Science, B.S.; Deafness and Hearing Studies minor

Graduation Year: 2019

Current Position: Doctor of Optometry Student, Pennsylvania College of Optometry at Salus University

I am motivated to become an optometrist so that I may adapt patient care to better serve deaf patients and patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. I also aspire to be the visibility, for aspiring students who look like me, that I did not have growing up, so that they can see themselves in me and know they can be just as, if not even more, successful in this field than I aspire to be.

Optometry is a great field that covers a full range of patient care, including refractions, diagnosing and comanaging systemic disease, vision therapy, minor surgery, and more. We are the only field that can look directly inside the body daily (viewing running blood vessels and nerves) without surgery, while the patient is awake! The eyes are truly the window to the health of the rest of the body, and optometrists are often the first to identify patient risks for conditions such as diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and much more. I am very excited to be a part of such a fascinating and growing field!