Optometry Student Spotlight
Meet Peter Jacques, OptometryStudents.com senior editor
Born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri, Peter is excited to be taking over for Ben Emer in his
new role with OptometryStudents.com. A first-year student at the University of Missouri-St.
Louis (UMSL) College of Optometry, Peter also serves as the treasurer-elect of the Student
Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity. He feels extremely blessed that he doesn’t have to
travel far to be surrounded by family and friends in the St. Louis area.
Growing up, Peter always wanted to be an entrepreneur, and started when he was only 12
Peter Jacques, class of 2019
years old with a small lawn-care business. “The working conditions were poor and the benefits
were terrible, but that’s when I first fell in love with being an entrepreneur, so it was worth it,”
he said. Optometry school seemed a natural path for Peter, and he credits his wonderful mentors in the industry for
believing in him and inspiring him to apply to optometry school.
Newly married to his wife, Lisa, soon after starting optometry school in 2015, the
couple hasn’t had their honeymoon quite yet, but plans for Hawaii are in the near
future. “I got married to my beautiful wife, Lisa, in the middle of my first semester of
optometry school. It was a crazy weekend, but I was right back in class Monday at
8 a.m.,” he said.
Peter with Lisa at the Eyeball.
As an undergrad, Peter began working in a local practice, and loved watching how the
practice grew by always putting the patient first. “I have some fantastic optometrists in
my life who have influenced me,” he said. “I was fortunate to be taken under the wing
of some amazing doctors.”
Peter especially recognizes and appreciates several of his mentors from the faculty at UMSL and optometrists around
the St. Louis area who have helped and supported him in numerous ways. “Jacqueline Ladd, O.D., Robert Goerss.
O.D., and Scott Tomasino, O.D., of Iverson-Tomasino-Goerss Eyecare Associates have been with me since the
beginning of my journey and have never stopped believing in me. It was these doctors who taught me that if you put the
patient first, you will provide the best patient care and build a great practice that people are proud to work for.”
When asked how optometry school has changed his life, Peter confirmed, “It has forced me to be much more organized
and regimented about my life, and I rely on technology to stay organized and prioritize tasks.” Peter’s best advice for
people considering an optometry career is to find a great mentor in the industry and determine if you really have a
passion for it. “I believe that with anything in life, success follows passion,” he said.
Peter motivates himself to succeed by thinking about the future and getting excited about the possibilities. “Optometry
school can be very challenging, but honestly there is nothing else I would rather be doing–it’s a great profession and
the perfect fit for me.”
Peter says the rewards of optometry are many, and so far, he says his greatest reward has been meeting the many
goals he sets for himself. He realizes he has a long journey ahead of him, but as he puts it, “Every mountain is climbed
one step at a time, and it’s important not to dwell on how far you need to go, but rather celebrate how far you’ve come.”
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Right now as a first-year student, Peter acknowledges his sheer lack of experience, but he has spoken with many
doctors who have expressed that expertise comes with experience, so his focus is on learning all he can to be a great
doctor someday. He loves to share the advice that he was given when he entered optometry school: “Keep focused on
what initially inspired you and dream big!” Indeed, this is great advice for pursuing any career. Here are excepts from
our interview.
AOA: What are your favorite optometry student events?
Peter: My UMSL class has many optometry-related social events, such
as the Eyeball, along with nonoptometry related activities. For example,
the last day of our fall semester fell on the opening day of the new Star
Wars movie, so a group of us went to see it. These activities bring us
closer together and help us connect on a deeper level.
AOA: How has optometry school been different from undergrad?
Peter with UMSL classmates at the Eyeball
Peter: I’d say the biggest difference for me is the drive and focus of my classmates. I love the faculty and students at
UMSL and enjoy that everyone in my class is a future colleague.
AOA: How do you stay positive and focused?
Peter: I make sure to make time for things that I love doing like web design, writing, music, technology and of course
spending time with friends and family. You need to have things in your life that help your work-life balance. It is
important in optometry school and important in practice.
AOA: How do you handle stress?
Peter: I love working out, running and cycle as often as I can. I also de-stress by playing golf, playing music and
writing. Anything that can get my mind off of studying that is productive is a good stress reliever for me.
AOA: Did you attend Optometry’s Meeting®? If so, what did you like best about it?
Peter: Optometry’s Meeting was a fantastic opportunity to meet students from all over the country. I love Optometry’s
Meeting just from the sheer volume of students who attend. I also had some great opportunities to network.
AOA: What is something interesting about you that most people don’t know?
Peter: I am left handed. It’s tough being a southpaw in a right-handed world, but I manage. Scissors can be challenging
sometimes.
AOA: If you weren’t an optometry student, any guess as to what you would be?
Peter: The most likely place I would be is the tech industry, I’ve always loved computers and electronics. It’s very
interesting to see how technology is reshaping our profession to help improve the efficiency and quality of patient care.
AOA: Name something you’re looking forward to. career-related
or otherwise.
Peter: I am looking forward to sharing my life with Lisa and having my own
practice someday.