SIOUX CENTER—Eyes are the windows to the soul, as the saying goes, but they’ve also been the door to a successful and fulfilling career for optometrist Aric Waltz of Sioux Center, and he’s been pleased with the chance to assist at Promise Community Health Center.
Waltz, 28, has provided his expertise at Promise on Mondays and Thursdays since September. He has worked full time at Family Eye Care in Orange City and in Hawarden since September as well.
“It’s been awesome over there. It’s been really busy. Get to see a wide variety of people and cases. A lot of them are having their first eye exam there, so it’s a pretty neat place to be when you’re their first experience with an eye doctor,” Waltz said. “It’s really rewarding.”
As a high schooler, Waltz, a Spirit Lake native, was interested in the sciences but wasn’t sure what direction to take that interest. By the time he was a senior, he had figured out that he wanted to work in the medical field.
While attending Northwestern College in Orange City, Waltz initially thought physical therapy was what he’d do, but then he tore his ACL. Going through the physical therapy process after that showed him that this wasn’t meant to be his career. So, in his junior year of college, he began job shadowing, including optometry.
“I liked helping people and seeing people,” he said. “I don’t like working by myself. I like working with people and talking with people and that’s why optometry is good for me. It’s one of those professions where you’re face-to-face with the person the whole time.”
He’s found his work at Promise to be rewarding.
“My schedule has been full and I’ve been seeing a lot of people,” Waltz said. “I hope that continues and that people realize the importance of eye care and how it relates to their health overall; you only have the one set of eyes.”