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Kane native Anderson has an eye for success |
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Written by Publisher
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Saturday, 12 December 2009 |
Photo submitted
Kane native Erin Anderson is enjoying a career in optometry.
By Natasha Mattis
Special to The Kane Republican
Erin Anderson, a 1999 Kane Area High School graduate, loves to help others, which is why she went into optometry.
While she was in high school, she was a member of the Kane Science Olympiad Team and National Honor Society. Anderson said she also enjoyed playing golf with the high school golf team.
She said she loves going out to the country club to play golf when she comes home. She worked at the country club and enjoys seeing every one again.
Anderson went to college at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in biology in 2004, but Anderson wasn’t done yet.
She said she has always been interested in the medical field. So, she decided to go to Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia. There Anderson received a doctor of optometry degree when she graduated in May 2009.
Anderson said she received a good education in Philadelphia. The
Pennsylvania College of Optometry is a four year college, and the last year and a half is spent interning. Anderson said she enjoyed the hands on approach of interning.
The internship took place in several different locations. She worked at a disease site, a veterans’ hospital and with pediatric patients. She learned about contact lenses, glasses, and lots of other things dealing with eyes and how they work.
When working in Philadelphia, she worked in a poverty stricken area, which she said was good for her education.
“Because where I practiced, patients with disease and lots of different cases came in,” Anderson said. “The training I received there, I would not be able to get in a rural area. I got to see lots of weird things.” Although Anderson enjoyed the education she received in Philadelphia, she didn’t enjoy the really big city life, with all the crime and negativity, so she moved to Pittsburgh, which is where she is currently living.
She said she likes Pittsburgh, because there is a lot going on and always something to do. She also said it is small enough to not be totally impersonal like Philadelphia seemed to be.
Anderson said she really enjoys what she does because she never knows what she is going to get when she goes to work, it could be very boring or a crazy day.
“Sometimes patients come in and they are totally discouraged, feeling like they can’t be helped. If I take the time to do something that can help them, it gives them hope that they won’t be miserable forever,” Anderson said. “When my patients are happy, it’s an awesome feeling.”
She said she loves helping people. Anderson is working as an optometrist at Dr. Thomas E. Patrick and Associates in Washington. Anderson also belongs to the Pennsylvania Optometry Association.
Anderson still visits Kane; in fact, she will be home to celebrate the holidays with her family. She is the daughter of Guy and Jean Anderson.
“I would have never gotten through school without my parents’ support and constant encouragement,” Anderson said. She also said her sister Katie Anderson, who is now attending Clarion University, has been part of her support system, too.
John Odonish was an influential teacher in Anderson’s life. She said he was the one that got her interested in the sciences from when she was on the Science Olympiad team, which Odonish coached.
Anderson said that Bob Boyer was also influential. She found that taking his classes was a big advantage to her. He taught difficult material, and it was through his classes that she learned to really study, which helped her when she went to college.
Although Anderson likes life in Pittsburgh, she said, “I miss how friendly everybody is (in Kane) and how everyone is so involved in what is going on, whether it’s a sporting event or a play. You don’t really get that in the city.”
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 30 December 2009 )
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