Centennial
Questions and Answers with Melissa Vitek, OD, FAAO, Director, International and Continuing Education, Assistant Professor
To mark 100 years of Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO), we asked four faculty members about their experiences at PCO and what they hope for the next 100 years.
Why did you choose optometry?
I chose optometry because I was one of five children and I was the only one that needed glasses and it’s a little bit cliché, but I was one of those people that when I put my first pair of glasses on, I couldn’t believe the detail I was able to see. I remember on the way home seeing everything with all this detail and I was excited and fascinated by the feeling that a pair of glasses could make such a big difference in my life. So that planted the seed that in the back of mind always thought it would be an interesting field to get into. In eighth grade I wanted to get rid of my glasses and I wanted contact lenses, so I went to the optometrist and I saw all the equipment that he had and the environment. I loved the atmosphere and the feeling there and I asked him about the profession and he made me an offer to come work for him when I turned 16. I thought that he was half joking, but I kept that in the back of my mind and the day I turned 16 I went into his office and I reminded him of his offer. He made good on his offer. I was in several different activities so it was hard to work out my schedule but I started working whenever I could and I helped patients pick out frames, I’d help them putting in their contacts, and I helped with pretesting. So initially, I thought I was going to be an optometric technician, so I joined the tech program at the time that was part of PCO and it was in partnership with Manor Junior College, which is now a 4 year college. One day I was talking to my mentor and I asked her about optometry and she asked me why I wanted to be a technician when I could be a doctor. I thought about it for a couple months and switched my major, went back to school, switched colleges, and the rest is history.
Why did you choose PCO?
I chose PCO because I graduated in 1995, and PCO was rated the top optometry school in the nation and I also wanted to have strong clinical experience, which PCO always had a strong reputation with. So I chose PCO, and I had a fantastic time. I was one of the married students so I had my own little group with the other married students that we all hung out with.
Next 100 Years?
I hope that PCO and Salus continue to be leaders. When I joined the PCO community back in 1990, it was a leader and it has held that reputation in different ways for many years and I hope it continues to be a leader and I hope Salus continues to be a leader. I think that more people are understanding who we are as a University and the programs that we offer and I hope that continues to expand and grow.
