5 minute read
Pirate Nation
Raise Your Eye-Q
THE TIKTOK DOC
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TikTok celebrity Makall Lauren had a contact lens stuck in her eye. The college student posted a teary video about her dilemma on the popular social media platform asking for help.
Dr . Brittani Carver-Schemper ’96 answered her plea . The Fayetteville-based optometrist demonstrated how to remove the contact lens, and unknowingly created a viral video in the process .
On the TikTok app, creators make a variety of short videos on everything from dance moves to cooking hacks to makeup tutorials . It is also increasingly a place to educate their audiences . For CarverSchemper, it’s ideal for teaching people about eye health .
Carver-Schemper, who uses the name @bettervision (the same as her practice) on TikTok, has 10 .6 million account likes and 250,000 followers . She initially heard about TikTok from her kids and started making videos about a year and a half ago .
“It was slow at first, and a lot of trial and error . When I hit 10,000 followers, I was so surprised,” Carver-Schemper said . “Now some people come into the practice having found us on TikTok . ”
In her videos, she posts about multiple topics, including what to expect at an eye exam, common eye issues and how not to apply eyeliner (tip: avoid your waterline) .
“My favorite part is getting messages from people all over the world . They’re asking questions, and maybe don’t have proper eyecare where they are,” she said .
Before she became an optometrist, Carver-Schemper thought she was going to be a pediatrician . As a senior studying pre-med at ECU, she decided that career path wasn’t what she wanted . Dr. Brittani Carver-Schemper ’96
1) Get your eyes examined.
I see patients all the time who haven’t had an exam in 10 to 15 years . Even if you have good vision or don’t need glasses, it’s very important to still get a health check .
2) Watch for dry eyes.
With the amount of computer work we’re doing these days, dry eyes are a big issue . Many people have severe damage to their oil glands, but wouldn’t know it until they come in .
3) Eat healthy and exercise.
What’s good for your body is good for your eyes .
“I felt lost . I went to my guidance counselor and she suggested going to an intro session to learn more about optometry . I went to that meeting and ended up shadowing a local optometrist in my hometown,” she said . “I wouldn’t be where I am today if I hadn’t walked in that guidance counselor’s office that day .”
Now Carver-Schemper is using her eye expertise to help and educate others . A bonus? “My kids think it’s awesome,” Carver-Schemper said of her TikTok popularity . “I ask them, ‘Are you sure I’m not embarrassing you?’ They’re 12 and 16, and they say they’re proud of me .”
— Erin Ward
Germany 1971
FIFTY YEARS AFTER A STUDY-ABROAD EXPERIENCE
IN GERMANY, A GROUP OF ECU ALUMNI GOT TOGETHER TO TALK AND REMEMBER
“It changed my DNA,” said Pamela Murphy, describing the life-changing experience of living and studying in 1971-72 at East Carolina’s European Study Center in Bonn.
The experimental program, operating through ECU from 1971 to 1973, hosted 39 American students the first year and 46 in the second. We came from all parts of North Carolina, multiple universities and divergent backgrounds to live and study at a historic manor on the banks of the Rhein River, called Haus Steineck.
Seven ECU professors rotated through the program on a quarterly basis, providing instruction on all aspects of Europe, including history, political science, geography, economics, business, sociology, language, art and music. We earned ECU college credit and a minor in European studies. Two of us lived with German families and commuted daily.
The most memorable aspect was travel throughout Europe. We traveled as a group – mostly by bus – to various cities, including London, Amsterdam, Brussels, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Luxembourg, Madrid, Barcelona and Vienna. Many students traveled independently over long weekends and quarter breaks.
The program was the brainchild of Hans Indorf, a native of Germany and ECU associate professor of political science, who served as resident director. Indorf also acted as parent, confidant and advisor, encouraging our growth, listening to our problems and chiding us for bad behavior when necessary.
“For me, a shy, naïve girl who had rarely been out of North Carolina, it was beyond my wildest dreams,” said Debby Mitchell Jennings ’73. “The experience opened my eyes to the importance of travel and experiencing other cultures.”
“We visited so many museums, and I – all of us – were exposed to so many of the great art masters from Rubens to Rembrandt, and El Greco to Titian,” said Paul Dulin ’73, ’76. “To this day, I still enjoy visiting museums.”
Two marriages resulted. Beverly Eubank Ayscue ’73, who met and later married fellow participant Gene Ayscue ’73 (now deceased), said: “The Haus Steineck experience was like a yearlong initiation rite into adulthood. I met some of the most important people in my life there.”
Many of us have kept in touch and participated in reunions every few years. We renew friendships, retell old stories and catch up on news of families and careers. After the COVID pandemic altered our plans to celebrate our 50th anniversary in Europe, a small group gathered in October at a beach house in Nags Head.
At the 50-year mark, we look back on our “Camelot” year with a deep sense that we experienced what it means to be a citizen of the world, “and not just an American,” as Sheila Nicholson Morehead said.
Our unofficial theme song sums it nicely: “Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end.”
FOR MORE INFO
More recollections and photos are available online at east .ecu .edu ECU student group meeting with Peter Kraemer, the Bürgermeiste (mayor) of Bonn in September 1971.
— Gail Benge Kent
Editor’s note: Kent was part of the 197172 study-abroad group. She attended ECU and then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
