Because You Give | "I'm Trying to Learn as Much as I Can"

Seamus Martin OD ’20 came across Pacific University when he was researching optometry programs.

Far from his home in Kansas City, Pacific seemed like an “exotic” location — one that also carried academic prestige in the field of optometry.

“I always wanted to be some sort of medical professional,” Martin said. “I liked the patient and doctor interaction in the field of optometry, and I thought it would be a good fit for me. Since then, I have never really looked back.”

Martin is keeping the door open to future opportunities in the field of optometry but ultimately hopes to one day run his very own private practice.

“I would like to go where the wind takes me with this,” Martin said. “I have learned so much about what this profession has to offer, and I do not want to limit myself to just one thing. Right now, I am trying to learn as much as I can.”

Martin said he is enjoying the opportunities the optometry program has already offered him and feels lucky to have the hands on experience that most other schools do not offer.

“It is really cool to get that hands-on experience as a first-year student,” Martin said. “Just really getting to jump right into what we will be doing for the rest of our lives. I think that’s an awesome experience to be exposed to at such an early point in our careers.”

Martin feels that he has made the right decision with Pacific and is thankful for the financial aid he has been provided with.

“It is the entirety of my economic status here,” Martin said. “It is how I do everything: pay for schooling, my rent and how I live from a day to day basis. It is very crucial and pertinent in my life.”

Martin looks forward to his future with Pacific and plans to continue focusing on doctor and patient interactions in his studies, something that he believes helps to separate Pacific from the rest.

When you make a gift to Pacific University, you are supporting educational experiences for students like Seamus.