Kres Pedersen 鈥�79, OD 鈥�82 remembers taking college biology at the same time as his sister.
He was at 91视频. She was at the University of Southern California.
鈥淲e both had the same book,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he difference was, her professor was the author of that biology book, but she never met him, never went to office hours. The whole class was done by a TA.
鈥淥ur class was taught by Dr. Carter, with a PhD in biology.
鈥淭he professors at Pacific were there to teach. It really showed. They were there to be a mentor, to get you excited about the material in the class and want you to investigate.鈥�
A generation later, his daughter Amy (Pedersen) Park 鈥�08, OD 鈥�11 found the same thing.
She remembers then-President Phil Creighton coming to her dorm room for dinner and joining her and her roommate in shooting marshmallow guns out the window.
鈥淧rofessors had us over to their houses,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t was a very different college experience than I think a lot of people had.鈥�
Kres and Amy both found their way to Pacific with a little guidance from their parents.
鈥淢y folks had the foresight to understand that if I went to UC Berkley or a really large school, I鈥檇 probably just get lost,鈥� said Kres, who grew up in Southern California. 鈥淚f I went to a smaller school, the chance of success was higher.鈥�
Still, he didn鈥檛 set out to recommend Pacific to his daughter. He wanted her to go away from home, live on campus and have the full undergraduate experience. She wanted to play basketball.
鈥淲e were looking at schools, but none of the schools fit,鈥� Kres recalled. 鈥淚 remember her coming in and saying, 鈥楧ad, I鈥檓 never going to find a college I like.鈥� I said, 鈥榊ou know what, look at Pacific.鈥� Just to calm her down and get her going. They wrote her back immediately.鈥�
鈥淚t was a good fit, all the way around,鈥� said Amy.
Amy took a rigorous pathway to her doctor of optometry degree, earning her bachelor鈥檚 in vision science and transitioning straight from the undergraduate to graduate program in her senior year.
鈥淚 did optometry school after three years. It was technically like my senior year,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 was in optometry school, still playing , doing some undergrad-type things. It was really crazy, but I鈥檓 glad I did it.鈥�
In the College of Optometry, Amy said she found the same support she had as an undergraduate.
鈥淚 had a really, really good education. There鈥檚 no question about that. I felt very prepared,鈥� she said. 鈥淓ven more than that, I had a great mentor in Dr. (Jenny Coyle), which is huge.鈥�
Dr. Coyle (now Pacific's president) encouraged Amy to complete a residency, which she did at the Portland Veterans Administration following graduation.
鈥淚t was definitely the best thing I could have done,鈥� Amy said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very different going from seeing patients when supervised all the time to having your own patients. It makes you a really, really good clinician.鈥�
Eventually, Amy found her way to Kaiser Permanente in her hometown of Redlands, Calif., the same organization where her father has worked for more than 25 years.
鈥淚 knew that鈥檚 where I eventually wanted to be,鈥� she said.
Kres has enjoyed the professional opportunities presented by the comprehensive healthcare provider.
鈥淚 was doing red eyes, urgent care, diabetic, glaucoma, way before the laws expanded, just because I was working with ophthamologists right next door,鈥� he said.
Today, Amy has the opportunity to enjoy an even broader scope of practice. She specializes in working with low-vision patients and provides assessments for patients with macular degeneration, to determine if they are candidates for implantable mini-telescopes.
鈥淭here are only three Kaisers in Southern California doing (the procedure) right now,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here are limited candidates, but I do a lot of evaluations. It鈥檚 pretty neat to get to be a part of that.鈥�
Optometry, Amy said, wasn鈥檛 the career she grew up imagining, but it鈥檚 been a great fit for her life.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a good profession,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou get to really impact people in your daily life.
鈥淲hen you make somebody see better, you really do improve the way that they live."