Growing up, Science alumnus Diego Lalla (BSc ’26) watched his mother struggle with an eye condition no one could fix until she found the University of Waterloo’s School of Optometry and Vision Science. That frightening moment, when she nearly lost her eyesight, shaped his future and set him on a path to become an optometrist and help others see clearly again.
While Lalla was in high school, his mother experienced severe vision issues that brought her close to blindness and caused intense migraines. Despite seeing nearly a dozen ophthalmologists and optometrists, no one could provide an effective treatment plan.
She eventually travelled to the Waterloo Eye Institute Optometry Clinic, where she finally found answers. There, optometry students identified the root cause and provided treatment, improving her vision.
“When she started to regain her eyesight, everything clicked for me,” says Lalla. “That’s when I knew I wanted to go to Waterloo for optometry and help others.”
By grade 10, Lalla was set on attending the School of Optometry, so he chose the Biological and Medical Physics program in the Faculty of Science at Waterloo to help him get there. His decision was reinforced by his older brother’s experience at the university, after he graduated from Civil Engineering and got a job right out of school.
“I believe Waterloo is one of the best schools in Canada for preparing graduates for the workforce,” says Lalla. “The co-op program gives students access to opportunities they wouldn’t have otherwise. It would have been very difficult for me to get accepted to Optometry without it.”
A co-op work term as a physician’s assistant confirmed he was on the right path. There, he interacted with neurologists, occupational therapists, and psychologists, strengthening his decision to pursue optometry.
During his time in Science, Lalla was inspired by professors Brenda Lee, Josh Neufeld, and Stefan Idziak, who brought passion to teaching every day. Their influence sparked his interest in teaching and motivated him to support others’ learning.
For his remaining co-op work terms, Lalla worked as a Learning Assistant at Sheridan College, helping students understand complex course material and build essential academic skills. While on campus, he also spent 10 hours a week tutoring at the Physics Tutorial Centre.
Alongside these experiences, Lalla showed academic resilience after an accident that left him with a severe concussion. Despite doctors' advice to step away from school for a term, he continued with the support of his professors and AccessAbility Services. While managing the ongoing effects of his injury, he maintained Dean’s Honours with academic distinction.
Outside of school, Lalla volunteered at an optometry clinic every weekend for four years to earn volunteer hours for his optometry school application. As a volunteer, he helped pretest patients and worked at the front desk.
Now, as a Science graduate, Lalla is one step closer to becoming an optometrist. He is returning to campus this fall to begin the highly competitive Doctor of Optometry program after scoring in the 99th percentile on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) while working full-time.
Diego Lalla (BSc '26) and Associate Professor Brenda Lee at the Spring 2026 convocation.
Reflecting on his journey preparing to write the OAT, Lalla shared the following advice for others aspiring to do the same:
- Be kind to yourself: Not every day will go as planned. Some days will bring challenges and setbacks, while others will feel more productive. The key is to do your best with the time and energy you have each day.
- Start early: Give yourself enough time to prepare for the test. Many students try to rush their study schedule into one or two months, but if you can spread it out over four or five months, you should. This allows for long-term learning and better retention of the material.
- Focus on the joy of learning, not just the results: Approaching the test with the only goal of achieving a high score creates a lot of pressure. Instead, study with the goal of genuinely wanting to learn the content. When you study to learn rather than just to perform, you stay focused on what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. This mindset shift made a big difference for me.
With optometry school ahead, he’ll carry these lessons with him as he returns to the school that helped restore his mother’s sight, eager to help do the same for others.