By Marta Brunelli, VT
I was born in a small country town in Italy. At the age of 14, thanks to vision training, my performance at school improved significantly, and from that moment on, I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up: an optometrist.
Unfortunately, the same type of university program that exists in America does not exist in Italy. So I attended optician school and then university for orthoptics. On weekends, I took private lessons at the Sports Vision Academy.
But I still felt something was missing, so I did an internship at the SUNY College of Optometry in New York.
You can’t imagine what it was like for me to experience SUNY—so different from the orthoptics program in Bologna—and New York is such a huge city. I felt completely out of my element, yet at the same time, I was passionate about learning visual training.
I spoke very little English with my Italian accent, and—I’m not ashamed to admit it—I often got lost at the university, which seemed so huge to me!
A CHANCE MEETING
One day, inside the elevator, I asked a young woman for directions using “my English.” I had an appointment with a university professor and simply couldn’t figure out where to find him. This incredibly kind woman replied in Italian, “Wait, are you Italian?”
I was so happy to hear Italian spoken after so many days alone that, overcome with joy, I immediately hugged her and said, “Yes, yes, I’m 100% Italian—and you?”
Her name is Yvette Cavalli, OD—who was completing a residency in visual training. From that day on, Yvette became “my American sister” to me.
Her family welcomed me into their home like a daughter, and thanks to their kindness and hospitality, I felt just like I was in Italy. Later, I managed to join the CITT Study as a researcher.
She and I are still great friends after 21 years. We just returned from a vacation in Croatia with our husbands and children, and at the end of September, we attended a SUNY Optometry meeting together.
