Wanderlust hit a young Dr. Jordyn King hard as a high schooler. Even though she grew up in a loving home with supportive parents, the lure of the West Coast was a strong siren call she found hard to resist.
The death of a close friend’s father changed that.
While considering colleges, King, now an optometrist with BayCare Clinic Eye Specialists, dreamed about moving out West, far away from her hometown of Gladstone, Michigan. When her friend’s father passed away unexpectedly, King’s wanderlust quickly lost its hold. She wanted to remain close to home.
King would go on to attend and graduate from the Michigan College of Optometry-Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan. The school was a little more than five hours away from Gladstone – away from home, but not too far away.
Optometry was an easy choice, she says. She knew by age 14 that she wanted to work in the medical field.
“I always really liked my biology classes, science classes and math classes growing up, so I was a little bit of a nerd in that sense,” she says, laughing. “But on a whim, I went to the eye doctor’s and I hadn’t gone for years. I was like, ‘I might want to do this.’ I was a freshman in high-school and decided then that I wanted to become an optometrist.”
She heeded her parent’s sagely advice to one day find a career that would fulfill her. Optometry did the trick.
“I got into optometry school and was really glad I picked this. I love this career. I love what I do. I am super happy with everything. I thank God that I had this premonition when I was 14-years-old to pick optometry because I’m super happy now.”
King sees Manitowoc-area patients from 6 months old and older. Her favorite part about working as an optometrist? Getting to bond with patients and solve their eye health problems, she says.
“The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I’m able to make a positive impact in my patients’ lives. Going home every day knowing that I bettered the quality of that patient’s life means the world to me.”
The 25-year-old optometrist says she’s grateful for the opportunities, resources and support her family has provided. Most importantly, she is grateful to be close to home.
In her free time, King enjoys socializing with family and friends, seeking out craft breweries and spending time outdoors. She recently took up snowboarding.