NHS grad pursues career as optometrist

KateLynn Slaamot
NLJ Correspondent
 
When 2014 Newcastle High School graduate Kiana Ehlers was in kindergarten, she wrote that she wanted to be a doctor, according to her parents, Troy and Melissa Cade. Little did they know that interest would grow in Ehlers’ high school years into a passion to help others. She is now pursuing her degree in optometry at Midwestern University, Arizona College of Optometry in Glendale, Arizona. 
While Ehlers has been interested in the medical field for some time, she said, she wasn’t sure exactly what career she wanted to pursue. However, as someone who has needed glasses from a young age, her yearly trips to Dr. Carl Cottrell’s office sparked an interest in helping people with their vision. 
“I love science,” Ehlers said. “I love being able to help people.”
Ehlers also noted other benefits to optometry, such as a more personal relationship with the patients, as well as the good hours that leave time for family. 
Ehlers completed her undergraduate degree at South Dakota State University before going on to Midwestern University. During her schooling, she has shadowed optometrists and also worked as a fill-in technician for Cottrell one summer. Ehlers said that those experiences solidified her desire to be an eye doctor. 
“It has been awesome here (college). I’ve learned so much,” Ehlers said. While school has been challenging, with classes eight hours a day, a lot of time spent studying and an overload of information, the science enthusiast said she has enjoyed all the interesting facts she has learned. 
“She’s always been kind of a bookworm,” Troy said, noting that his daughter has shown immense dedication to studying while in school. Melissa said that she is blown away by the hours Ehlers spends in her books.
Melissa also said that she is amazed by Ehlers’ capacity for compassion towards others. Last year, Ehlers was set to go on a mission trip to Mexico to bring optometric help to those less fortunate, but due to violence at the border, the trip was canceled. Melissa said that Ehlers was disappointed, but not because she was missing out on a great opportunity. She was crushed that so many people who were looking forward to being able to see better would now not get that opportunity. 
“She just wants to help people,” Melissa said. 
This past summer, Ehlers started seeing patients for the first time, and as a third-year student, she spends half her time in classes and half in clinic. Next year, she starts on rotations, where she gets to put her skills to work all around the country, including at the Veterans Administration hospital in Sturgis, South Dakota. 
Set to graduate in 2022, Ehlers said she plans to return to Wyoming to work at a private practice somewhere, and she hopes to eventually run her own practice. 
“I just want to make a difference in people’s lives,” Ehlers said. 
Ehlers said that she couldn’t have gotten where she is today without the help of her parents and her husband, Dillon Ehlers. Ehlers said that her support group has done so much for her, encouraged her and been there for her every step of the way. Melissa added that Dillon has done everything he can to help Ehlers get her degree. 
“I definitely couldn’t be where I am without them,” Ehlers said. 
Troy and Melissa wish the best for their daughter, and while they said they hope she’ll be able to come back to Wyoming, they hope she does well in her career no matter where it takes her. 
“We just hope she has that enthusiasm during her career,” Melissa said.