University Of Missouri-St. Louis: College Of Optometry's Graduating Class Features 4 Second-Generation Students

Chesterfield MO

20 May, 2022

1:46 PM

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Press release from the University of Missouri-St. Louis: May 16, 2022 Brendan Mulqueeny always wanted to be in medicine and for a long time thought he'd become an emergency room doctor. He even worked at Mercy Hospital as a scribe in the emergency room after earning a bachelor's degree at Texas Christian University. But somewhere along the way Mulqueeny decided to choose a familiar and familial path. Though he enjoyed the fast pace of the emergency room, he didn't have the opportunity to get to know patients – something he realized he wanted from observing his father Dr. Sean P. Mulqueeny's optometry practice growing up and while working there over the summers. So, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and enrolled in the University of Missouri–St. Louis College of Optometry. "It was always something that was part of my life growing up," Brendan said. "There's a lot to know about the eye. It's such a complicated organ and it just seemed very intriguing." Out of the 23 optometry schools in the U.S., Brendan chose UMSL because it was not only close to his family but also offered a small class size that allowed him more access to his professors and the chance to know his classmates better. Brendan's experience over the past four years exceeded his expectations, and it culminated with Friday's commencement ceremony at the Blanche M. Touhill Performing Arts Center, where Dr. Sean P. Mulqueeny served as the commencement speaker. "I was extremely honored to give this year's commencement address at my alma mater and, most importantly, to my son Brendan and his classmates," Sean said. "I've had the privilege of working with many in the class of 2022. They have faced countless challenges, including a life-changing global pandemic, but they all remained committed to their professional goals. Their strength, resilience and perseverance are to be commended. As a parent, I'm very proud of my son Brendan, and as an optometrist, I'm also very proud of this impressive class of 2022." Brendan, who will be joining his father's practice, isn't the only student in the College of Optometry related to an UMSL alum who also graduated from the program. Three other students in the graduating class had familial ties to the school as well. Elizabeth Voss also graduated with an optometry degree and her mother, Dr. Vinita Allee Henry, is a College of Optometry alumna and director of clinical operations at UMSL Eye Care. Like Brendan, her initial plans didn't include becoming an optometrist, but her interest in the medical field eventually led her in that direction. "Even though I grew up with my mom being an optometrist, I didn't consider it until my senior year of high school," Voss said. "I started getting more interested in the medical field, and then I looked at her career and how she was able to have a really good work and family balance. It looked like a really great career. I thought I should look into that, and I've never really looked back." Dr. Henry never pushed her, but she was pleasantly surprised when her daughter chose optometry. "She was excited about it, even though she wanted me to do whatever would make me happy," Voss said. "She was really proud of me. But she would have been proud no matter what I did." Voss pointed to some of the same factors as Brendan in her decision to choose UMSL's College of Optometry. During the course of her studies, she took her mother's class, which could have felt odd. But she doesn't feel she received any special consideration and believes she was treated like any other student in the optometry program, something she preferred. "Being there and wanting to live up to the standard she's already set really drove me to work harder and just try to do my best and learn the most that I could," Voss said. "I never wanted to take the easy path. I didn't see going into optometry or UMSL as the easy path. I'm very happy with my choice and I've learned so much from this experience." Voss will be applying her experience in a practice in St. Charles. Recent College of Optometry graduate Adam Greene also took up the family trade and will be joining his mother, Dr. Lisa Greene, an optometrist and UMSL School of Optometry graduate, in her practice when he returns home to North Carolina. Adam initially entered school in North Carolina as a business major, and after some short-lived roles such as financial advisor and a district manager at a linen delivery service, he realized he wasn't fulfilled. His mother, Dr. Lisa Greene, asked him to consider optometry. He remembered pleasant experiences growing up and observing his mother's interactions with patients in her practice and the welcoming nature of the office. "I would go with her to the office and kind of hang out for the day," he said. "I obviously never interacted with the patients too much. But just kind of seeing what that day-to-day looked like and getting to know the people in the office – it's always just been a really welcoming and inviting environment that I've always enjoyed being around." This press release was produced by the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The views expressed here are the author's own.