After having a routine eye screening at her elementary school, Yessica Cañas was told she needed specialty lenses in her glasses. What Yessica didn’t understand was why she had to have these special glasses. Even more, she didn’t understand why others in her family used glasses, too.

To understand why this was the case, Yessica and her family needed to be able to speak comfortably and clearly with an eye doctor to learn more. But when you speak a different language than your doctor, there’s bound to be misunderstandings.

Even at that young age, Yessica developed a fire for learning more. She felt the need to understand why some routine issues in life seemed so much more difficult for her family and others like them. Over the years, the more Yessica learned about overcoming language barriers, the more she felt she still didn’t fully understand.

“The need to answer why did not go away as I grew older. It wasn’t just about understanding the science behind it.” she said. “I wanted to understand it and pass this knowledge on to Spanish speaking families as well.”

27J Schools played an important role in keeping that fire for learning alive. This was especially true during her time at Vikan Middle School.

At Vikan, Yessica was part of the National Honor Society and recalls how her science teacher, Ms. McLaughlan, played a fundamental role in setting up a strong foundation for all the science and math advanced placement courses she later took in high school.

Her time at Vikan Middle School propelled her to define and pursue the goal she had been set on since a young age, which was to become an optometrist. Once she was in high school, Dr. Fair at Brighton Eye Associates hired her to help him around his office and later trained her as an optometric technician.

After she graduated from high school and went on to the University of Colorado, Boulder, Yessica would commute from Boulder to continue working at Brighton Eye Associates as an optometric technician.

“Dr. Rod Fair was my mentor. He taught me how to behave in a collaborative manner and how to be a professional.” she said. “During my time working with him, I learned how to socialize and make connections in the field of optometry. Coming back to Brighton constantly also helped me stay rooted to my end goal, as Brighton was the place where it all started.”

With hard work and dedication, she reached her goal. Yessica graduated from CU Boulder with a bachelor’s degree in integrative physiology. She then went to Midwestern University Arizona College of Optometry school on a scholarship. She graduated from optometry school in 2021.

Today, she works as an optometrist at Vision Source Firestone. She understands the why behind a pair of specialty lenses and uses this knowledge to empower the Spanish-speaking community.

Yessica has become the provider that she wished she had when she was told in elementary school she needed specialty lenses.

“Our Spanish-speaking community is sometimes afraid to go to the doctor even if they have insurance due to the fear of high costs and the language barriers they may face with providers. I am trying to overcome this barrier by explaining to my patients in their own language the genetics behind their vision problems, the costs of their treatment, and the health-related issues that can be diagnosed early on by receiving proper eye care on time.”

Yessica is proud to represent and empower her community through the eye care she provides them. She is thankful to 27J Schools and Brighton Eye Associates for always supporting her and providing her with the knowledge she needed to become who she is today.

“I believe in 27J Schools because they provided me with the strong building blocks needed to pursue such a difficult career.”