Graduation may often feel like the finish line, but for these recent optometry graduates, it was just the beginning. In the few short years since earning their degrees, they have opened practices, completed residencies, launched nonprofits, joined family businesses and stepped into leadership roles.
Women In Optometry checked in with several recent standout graduates to see where their careers have taken them and what lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Making a Strong Impression and Impact
Sophia Capo, OD, FAAO, graduated from the University of Waterloo in 2021 and has quickly become a visible presence in British Columbia’s eyecare community. After completing a pediatric and binocular vision residency at the Michigan College of Optometry, she landed in a mid‑Interior city of Kelowna and opened A B See Optometry and Vision Therapy, focusing on evidence‑based pediatric care, vision therapy and post‑injury adult patients. To build relationships with the region’s ophthalmologists, she volunteered in an ophthalmology clinic one day a week for a year. That work helped establish referral pathways and patient confidence when she launched her practice at age 26 in June 2023 .
Dr. Capo also co-founded a nonprofit last year with her mother to raise funds for local patients who fall through the cracks of Canada’s optometry coverage system (read that story here!). The We See BC Foundation supports children, newcomers and clients from women’s shelters who need treatments, eyeglasses or follow‑up care that public or private coverage won’t fully cover. She recently tied fundraising to a triathlon and benefited from corporate matching—an effort she says helps keep evidence‑based pediatric care accessible in her community.
Following in His Father’s Footsteps
Rees Beaver, OD, graduated at the top of his 2019 class from Illinois College of Optometry before returning home to Iowa to join his father’s private practice. He says his dad, Paul Beaver, OD, inspired his career path from the beginning. “My goal was always to practice alongside him,” Dr. Beaver says. Less than a year into practice, the COVID-19 pandemic caused rapid shifts in the patient-doctor experience. However, Dr. Beaver says his externship experiences prepared him for constant adjustments in the workplace. “I got so used to working in new environments with new systems and procedures that the ever-changing safety protocols didn’t seem so daunting,” he says.
Today, Dr. Beaver works full-time in the group practice his father opened in 1989, seeing patients in two rural locations where medical cases can vary widely. “You never know what is going to walk through the door,” Dr. Beaver says. “It’s one of the parts of rural practice that I enjoy the most.” He says practicing alongside his father has also helped him grow professionally. Early on, when he asked for advice on challenging cases, his father would often tell him, “You’ll figure it out.” While frustrating at first, Dr. Beaver says it taught him to trust his clinical judgment. His advice to new ODs echoes that same mindset: always make decisions in the best interest of the patient. “You won’t learn every single thing in school—especially on the business side of running a practice—but building trust with your patients also builds the practice. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
Finding Confidence Through Residency
Sharon Qiu, OD, MS, FAAO, FSLS, grew up in Hangzhou, China, before moving to Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. In 2022, she was the top graduate at New England College of Optometry. After taking time to settle into her new home in Waterloo, Canada, she completed a residency in cornea and contact lenses at the University of Waterloo, where she now serves as a part-time clinical supervisor and PhD candidate.
Dr. Qiu says residency helped her strengthen both her clinical confidence and career direction. “By the end of my residency, I felt very confident managing patients with complex corneal diseases and providing myopia control care. My residency ultimately helped me specialize in my field.” She says the experience was especially valuable in learning specialty contact lens fittings for patients with irregular corneas, as she independently managed cases from day one.
“I realized that I really enjoy combining clinical care with teaching and research,” she says, adding that the experience ultimately inspired her to pursue a PhD in vision science.
“It has been incredibly fulfilling to continue caring for some of the same patients I first saw during residency nearly four years ago,” Dr. Qiu says. “Some of the pediatric patients I followed back then now drive themselves to their appointments, which is a really rewarding feeling.”
While continuing to supervise fourth-year clinic interns, Dr. Qiu is looking forward to summer while preparing to defend her PhD thesis in July.
A Strong Finish Before Returning Home
Isabelle Ampe, OD, a 2026 graduate of Midwestern University Chicago College of Optometry and class president, just completed her final clinical rotations and graduated at the top of her class. She moved about 500 miles from her home state of Minnesota to attend optometry school. She spent the last two years of her college career also serving on the Women in Optometry student advisory board. After graduation, she plans to return home to Minnesota and join Four Seasons Eye Care in Plymouth, a multi-location private practice where she previously worked as a technician. Dr. Ampe says she was offered a position before she began her OD program. She has started her Minnesota licensure process and is currently waiting for NBEO scores to be released to the state board, with plans to take a short month off before starting her full-time position in late June.
Dr. Ampe’s clinical interests include primary care with a strong medical focus, along with ocular disease, glaucoma management and pediatric myopia control. She is eager to start seeing patients utilize a newly approved injection suite in the practice following recent changes in Minnesota scope. She says she is most excited to return home, spend time at her family cabin and reconnect after four years away.
For new optometry students, she encourages taking time to enjoy the entire experience, noting that optometry school is intense but full of meaningful friendships and memories. “You’re not just leaving with an education,” she says. “You’re leaving with people and moments that matter.”
High-volume Residency Expands Clinical Skill
Marshall B. Ketchum University graduate Erik Whitney, OD, finished at the top of his 2024 class at the Southern California College of Optometry before completing a residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Despite the challenge of moving more than 2,000 miles away from family, Dr. Whitney embraced the opportunity to work in a high-volume pediatric setting, caring for children with developmental delays and genetic syndromes while gaining experience in specialty lenses, low vision, traumatic brain injury and other medical subspecialties.
“One of the most valuable parts of residency was gaining exposure to rare and complex pediatric medical conditions, many of which I had only seen on PowerPoint slides or never heard of,” he says. “It allowed me to find my role in providing quality clinical care and build a referral network. It was 100% worth the ride.”
Dr. Whitney credits his residency with helping him secure his current role at Spokane Eye Clinic, where he sees a mix of pediatric primary care and medical cases. He says his time working alongside ODs and MDs in a children’s hospital heavily shaped his practice patterns. He recently became an investigator with the Pediatric Eye Disease Investigator Group and looks forward to incorporating clinical research into his schedule.
Building Her Own Legacy
Maysoon Salem, OD, a 2020 graduate of the Illinois College of Optometry, opened Eyeluxe Eyecare in Wayne, New Jersey, in September 2025, in her hometown (read that story here!). She was inspired to pursue optometry after seeing her grandfather face vision loss with resilience and strength.” Dr. Salem completed an ocular disease residency at the VA in New Jersey in 2021 to strengthen her clinical skills before moving into a role at a private practice, where she learned more about the business side of the industry.
Dr. Salem says her path to ownership was influenced by her father’s entrepreneurial spirit. After feeling limited in prior roles, she chose to open a cold start so she could design a practice aligned with her vision for patient care. “You’re never going to know everything,” she says, adding that six months into ownership, she is still learning.
View the full 2026 graduation package here.
