DATEBOOK - Illinois College of Optometry

Pursuing a Passion
I CO A l u m n i Ta ke H o bb i e s t o H i g h e r L e ve l
W
ork-life balance. That
phrase is tossed
around so often that
it’s hard to remember exactly
what it means. For most people,
it is defined as excelling in
a profession you love, then
figuring out how to leave it
behind at the end of each day.
a
Passion
The field of optometry often
is noted for its work-life
friendliness. In fact, Kiplinger
recently named optometry
one of the top 13 best career
choices in the next decade, in
by Jacqui Cook
part because of the quality of
life it offers. Still, the demands
can be great and the stress can
take its toll, unless you figure
out ways to unwind and find
time to focus on other passions
and pursuits.
These three ICO alumni have
done just that. Each has
invested time in something
other than optometry – and
discovered that spending
time away from the office can
actually enhance their patient
interactions.
Thomas M. Troutman, OD ’95
On any given summer evening, Dr. Troutman trades
his white coat and ophthalmoscope for a baseball
glove and cleats, then hits the fields in suburban
Chicago for nine innings of baseball. He plays infield
for the Chicago Marlins in the Northwest
Adult Hardball Association – not quite the minor
leagues but a step above park district or neighborhood
games.
Dr. Troutman, 41, has played baseball since he was
7, growing up a Pittsburgh Pirates fan in western
Pennsylvania. He’s missed playing only one season
in all those years, and that was because the team he
was on folded and he had no choice. Giving up the
game was never an option, he says.
“As long as my body holds up and I enjoy playing,
I’m going to keep playing every year,” he says.
“When I was a kid, I used to think I’d play through
college and be done, but I’m still able to play. To
this day, I still get emotional when I put on my
uniform and think, ‘I’m 41 and still playing.’”
The Marlins typically practice every few weeks in
the winter, then start in earnest when spring rolls
around. Dr. Troutman, an optometrist at two JCPenney
Optical locations, says he is fortunate to have a
career that allows him the flexibility to keep playing.
“Everyone needs their own entertainment outside
of work,” he says. “It helps to have something to
look forward to. My job is great and I enjoy that,
but it’s good to have something else, too.”
Baseball can help him break the ice with patients,
but he doesn’t have to worry about offending anyone
in the Sox v. Cubs debate.
“I’m a Pirates fan. I go home every April for Opening
Day,” he says. “If they would win the World Series,
it would mean as much to me as a Cubs win
would mean for their fans.”
Orlando Guiang, OD ’92, FAAO Sarah Manongdo-Joya OD ’05
After 13 years in private practice, Dr. Guiang felt established
enough as an optometrist to spend time outside
the office pursuing his other great passion: photography.
The timing was perfect for him – his children were
older and cameras had become entirely digital and
less complicated – so he decided to enroll in a class.
“I like to draw and paint, especially where you do composition,
and I wanted to explore that with photography,”
he says. “I started taking pictures of different
subjects besides family pictures, and realized it was
an avenue I wanted to explore. I got a lot of compliments
from family and friends, and they encouraged
me to pursue it.”
The result is EyeMan Pix, his online photo gallery
(eyemanpix.com), which displays and sells his shots
of everything from bridges to sunsets to optometryrelated
images he’s taken for display in his office at
Mira Mesa Optometry in suburban San Diego.
“I really like that optometry leaves room to do other
things,” he says. “One of the most common questions
when I speak to pre-optometry students at UC-San Diego
is why I became an optometrist. I always tell them
one of the primary reasons is you can achieve balance
in your life.”
Dr. Guiang’s work has been noticed in the four years
since he began pursuing photography as a hobby. He
took first place in the AOA’s 2010 photography contest,
won the grand prize in a Hansen’s Soda photo
contest, and placed in the California State Fair’s photo
competition this year.
Running a busy practice with six employees and an
associate doctor can get hectic, which is why Dr. Guiang
appreciates seeing the world through a camera
sometimes.
“I enjoy being an optometrist and it’s a great profession
for me, but it’s nice if you have something creative
to do, too,” he says. “As with any profession, after
a while the day in and day out can make you burned
out or tired. This is a way to experience a different
kind of satisfaction.”
The inspiration for Dr. Manongdo-Joya’s hobby dates back
to her time as an ICO student, when she got engaged during
fourth year and began planning her wedding. As she
was navigating eBay to buy wedding items, she realized
other brides-to-be might appreciate a guide to buying and
selling wedding items on the online auction site.
She began selling her original guide – a simple document
written in Microsoft Word – in early 2004 for $5. She soon
submitted a 20-page plan to McGraw-Hill for a book authored
by Dennis Prince, with Dr. Manongdo-Joya and her
husband, Dan Joya, as co-authors. The book, How to Buy
Everything for Your Wedding on eBay … and Save a Fortune,
was published in April 2005 – one month before her own
wedding. She appeared on Fox News Chicago (in her eBaypurchased
wedding dress!) with Dan to talk about the
book and her successful wedding planning on a budget.
In early 2007, Dr. Manongdo-Joya decided to focus on
a webstore, launching BudgetWeddingCenterpieces.
com to help brides choose affordable silk flowers without
busting their budget. At the end of 2010, she added
BudgetWeddingBabyFavors.com to her roster of websites.
The entire process is automated: Shoppers choose what
they want, add to their cart, and Dr. Manongdo-Joya automatically
gets her percentage of the transaction. Still, it
takes some clever managing to be able to juggle an online
business while working as an optometrist for America’s
Best.
“It’s all about managing,” she says. “I have to edit and add
products. I have my day job, but I can work on it when
there are no patients.”
The profits are nice – paying for a recent trip to Greece –
but she says nobody should launch a business expecting
to become rich quickly.
“Start small, and go with something you really like to do
and are passionate about,” Dr. Manongdo-Joya says. “If
you like photography, you can market your services as a
photographer. If you like saving money, you could start a
website on financial advice. But make it something you
really want to do and enjoy, so it’s not a job. If it generates
income, that’s great, but don’t depend on it.”
So what’s next for this Internet entrepreneur? Her own
website, sarahjoya.com, gives this coy answer, “Don’t
know yet, but stay tuned!”
SPRING 2011 / ICO MATTERS / 13