Chris Ruckman, a student at HCC Dale Mabry in the Opticianry program, recently participated in the National Federation of Opticianry Schools College Bowl. Ranking 2nd place, Ruckman couldn’t be more grateful to HCC and its Opticianry department for assisting his success.

Born and raised in the small state of Delaware, Ruckman married and moved down to Florida where his spouse’s family originated. His wife, an optometrist, inspired Ruckman to pursue a career in Optics. “I decided that’s definitely a career I can get into and then we could actually make a career together out of it. The rest is history because if I really enjoy doing something, you know, I put everything I have into it,” said Ruckman.

Prompted by advertisements for the Opticianry program at HCC, Ruckman enrolled and is now onto his second year in the program, led by his instructor William Underwood, professor and Opticianry Program Manager.

Putting his optician skills to the test, Ruckman entered the competition held at the American Board of Opticianry (ABO) and the National Contact Lens Examiners (NCLE) Conference in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The competition is modeled  after the famed game show “Jeopardy”, quizzing its participants on the topics of anatomy and physiology, ophthalmic dispensing, ophthalmic fabrication, contact lenses and optics. All participants who advanced to the final round, received a $50.00 American Express gift card along with a copy of noted Texan Otolaryngologist, Dr. Phillippe Lanthony’s book, “Light, Vision and Painting”, a book about the perceptions of light in artwork.

Today, Ruckman has his sights set on continuing to pursue the shared dream career right here at HCC. “It might be kind of lofty, but I want to be the next Bill Underwood. I want to be a household name in Optics. I have a lot of  respect for Bill, and I feel pretty privileged that he is one of the instructors here. I will be here (HCC) until I graduate and get my licence,” Ruckman said.