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Weidmayer Balances Life as Mother, Wife and Student

BSara WeidmayerIG RAPIDS – As a mother, wife and student in the Michigan College of Optometry, Sara Weidmayer of Jackson performed an astonishing balancing act in her pursuit to become a doctor of Optometry.

Now, she swells with pride when reflecting on her time at Ferris and being able to remain committed to being a loving mom and dedicated wife to her husband, Nick, and son, Caleb.

“Ferris is a great university, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time as a student there and in the Michigan College of Optometry,” she says.

Earning her first degree from Ferris in 2007, a Bachelor of Science in Vision Science, Weidmayer will spend the next year completing an Ocular Disease residency at the Battle Creek VA Medical Center.

As she prepares to begin the next chapter in her life, Weidmayer feels prepared as she moves on to her residency.

“I’m proud to be a Ferris alumnae and hope to stay connected to FSU and MCO in the future.”

While at Ferris, Weidmayer worked tirelessly to maximize her time at the university – particularly during her undergraduate years. She was active in Residential Life as a resident advisor, program coordinator and community advisor.

She also positioned herself to earn and receive a host of scholarships that helped ease her financial burden. She received the Ferris State University Founders’ Scholarship (2003-07), the MCO Alumni Endowment Scholarship (2007), a Vistakon Acuvue Eye Health Advisor Student Citizenship Scholarship (2008), the Walman Optical Company Scholarship (2009) and the Michigan Foundation for Vision Awareness Scholarship (2009).

She was a College of Arts, Sciences and Education Dean’s List student from 2003-07 and was a MCO Dean’s List student from 2006-10.

Weidmayer has been involved in the Student Alumni Gold Club, Pre-optometry Club, Hall Council and more. While in MCO, she participated in the Fellowship of Christian Optometrists and Student Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity.

Having a full plate from the time she arrived at Ferris, Weidmayer notes her biggest challenge was striking a balance between academics and life.

“Certainly, the purpose of going to college is to learn, but there is much to learn beyond the classroom,” the Coldwater native says. “I often struggled with making time for my family, for the ministry (His House) and for myself.

“However, I had a lot of years of schooling to practice and perfect this balance, and by the end I’d say I got it close to right,” she adds.

Weidmayer also has been active with His House Christian Fellowship since she arrived at Ferris as a freshman in 2003. She has been on four mission trips to Juarez, Mexico, to build homes, and she and her husband, former associate campus minister with His House, want to continue to stay involved with the ministry.

“My college years were a tremendous experience, and the benefits I’ve reaped have been innumerable,” Weidmayer says. “Aside from my degrees, which are an obvious benefit of my time at Ferris, I’d say the biggest benefit of my time in Big Rapids is the relationships that I’ve built. Being at Ferris was a catalyst for a number of my now closest relationships.”