We’re all familiar with the optical phenomenon of a reflection; a wavefront enters a system, bounces off a reflecting surface and travels back to the medium from which it came. Reflection has multiple meanings, though, and to me it has been one of the most important words in my life. A reflection is so much more than something that I look at in the mirror every morning. It is a view that is deeper into an individual than any gonio or fundus lens can achieve. To me, a reflection is a glance at the characteristics that someone possesses that remind me of myself. For example, when I see my younger cousins being playful and competitive with each other, I see those traits as a reflection of my younger self.
My name is Tim Davis, and I am a second-year optometry student at the University of Houston College of Optometry. I am originally from Columbus, Ohio. I grew up in Columbus city limits and attended public school for the first couple of years of my life. In the third grade, my family moved from the city to the suburbs. I remember the adjustment that I had to make in my life, trying to fit into a new environment and make new friends. Little did I know at the time, this transition into the suburbs would allow me to meet my now best friends and make a connection to the greatest reflection that I’ve ever encountered in my life. One of my best friend’s mothers happened to be an optometrist, one that I saw a reflection of myself in. In her, I saw myself and all my dreams and aspirations standing before me as a proud Black doctor. As I got older, I understood the value of being connected to her more and more, and having her guidance and mentorship has been truly invaluable in my life. The exposure that I was able to get to the field of optometry at a young age, and the representation and success that she had in her life is what I believe ignited the fire and sparked the passion inside of me to achieve greater.
As I write this piece now, I can’t help but think of all the reflections that I see when I fly back home to visit my family. All the potential that resides within each one of my little cousins and other family members to become doctors, lawyers, engineers or whatever they desire to become in their lives. This same potential extends past my family, it’s to my people as a whole. It brings me anguish to realize the inequalities that plague the lives of many people who look like me, and this harsh reality has driven me to want to make a change. I want to bring awareness to these issues of inequality and to promote and enact change in the future so that more people who look like me can tap into their true potential. In an effort to inform the community, I have created a podcast entitled “Thoughts with TD the Future OD,” which highlights my personal experiences with diversity in the field, some of the systemic barriers that people like me face, and how we can move forward to diversify the field of optometry in the future.
In conclusion, I know that I am blessed to be in the position that I’m in right now in my life. I know that my achievements come on the heels of generations of hard work and sacrifice. I am dedicated to bringing awareness and enacting change in whatever way I can to make life better for the future generations. I want to look around and see more reflections every day, living their best lives and tapping into their true potential.
Link to my podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/31YOZGXBTzD8sKtZ1jlEhi?si=Ne4DBCxyTUqPlakJesvKIg