Five Years and Counting: Four Team Members Who Make Southwest Retina Special
Every clinic has equipment, procedures, and protocols. What separates a good one from a great one is the people who show up every single day and genuinely care about the patients walking through the door. This month, we're celebrating four team members who hit a major milestone: five years with Panhandle Eye Group and Southwest Retina Specialists (SRS).
From left: Alexya Torres, Alyssa Jimenez, Katie Crowley, and Ruben Hendren.
Alexya Torres: The One Who Speaks Their Language
Alexya didn't walk into SRS with a five-year plan. She'd just graduated high school and was drawn to the idea of working in healthcare, specifically something outside the usual nursing track. Eyes seemed interesting. Unfamiliar. Worth a shot.
"You never hear jobs about eyes or the back of the eyes," she said. "I was like, 'Oh, that'd be cool!'"
Five years later, she's still here—and she'll tell you it's not because she had to be. It's because every day brings something new. As a technician, Alexya moves patients through their visits, preps them for injections, and serves as the calm presence between a nervous patient and a clinical procedure. She works alongside all three doctors and credits the team environment for keeping her grounded on the hard days.
But the moment that's stayed with her most didn't involve a procedure at all. A Spanish-speaking patient came in terrified, convinced he was going to lose his vision. Alexya was his translator, but she became something more than that.
"He just started crying," she said. "And I was just kind of telling him, 'It's okay. That's why you're here. The doctors here are really good. They’re going to do everything they can to protect your vision." He thanked her. He calmed down. And now, whenever he comes in, he finds her and gives her a hug.
"I think about that every day," she said. "I realized, 'Oh, I made an impact on him.'"
Looking ahead, Alexya has her sights set on becoming a surgery technician—a goal she's working toward right here at SRS. As for the five-year milestone itself? "It's a big accomplishment just knowing that I've been here for that long and just helping people." Her parents agree. When she told them, they said exactly what she needed to hear: We're proud of you.
Ruben Hendren: The One Who Stayed (Even When He Didn't Expect To)
Ruben came to SRS because of the pandemic. His high school health sciences class had planned hospital shadowing hours, but COVID-19 had other ideas. Through a connection to a colleague's son, he ended up here instead.
His first day set the tone for everything that followed. After finishing orientation around noon, someone gave him a choice: go to lunch or get to work. He chose to work, and he didn't get home until 7 that night.
"The clinic is super busy and always keeps me moving," he said.
What kept Ruben at SRS wasn't a dramatic turning point or a patient interaction that changed his life. It was something more practical and, honestly, more meaningful for where he was in life: the clinic worked with him. Through four years of undergrad, shifting career goals, and the general chaos of being a college student making ends meet, SRS adjusted to his schedule. That kind of flexibility doesn't go unnoticed.
He's planning to leave Amarillo within the next year to begin his next chapter of education. When asked what it felt like to hit this milestone, he simply couldn’t believe that the last five years had flown by so fast. "It doesn't even feel like five years at all. It doesn't even feel like I went to college."
Alyssa Jimenez: The One Who Grew Up With Us
Alyssa started at SRS as a summer float at the age of 16. She was introduced by her aunt, who works here as well, and came in looking for patient contact to support her path toward a healthcare career. She didn't expect to still be here five years later. "I'm going to be totally honest. No," she said, when asked if she'd anticipated the milestone. "But it's truly a blessing."
Now completing her Medical Lab Science degree with graduation on the horizon, Alyssa has done most of her growing up—professionally and personally—within these walls. When she started, she was 16 and couldn't yet do injections or full patient workups. Once she turned 18, she trained for both. Now, injections are her favorite part of the job.
"It's one-on-one," she explained. "We're able to actually put drops in and play a role in their procedure instead of just asking questions."
What's kept her engaged is actually the opposite of routine. Despite seeing the same diagnoses on paper, every patient is different. That variation has even helped her in school, reinforcing the lesson that clinical results don't tell the whole story.
There's one patient in particular who stands out. She requests Alyssa specifically for her injections. She remembers Alyssa's name, knows how to spell it, and even remembers what she looked like when she was blonde. "I didn't think she remembered my name," Alyssa said. "But she remembers everything."
Injections are scary for a lot of patients. Being the person someone trusts enough to ask for by name means something.
As she wraps up school and steps toward her career in medical lab science, Alyssa is proud of how far she's come from that summer float position. "I basically know how to do everything now," she said. "It's very cool."
Katie Crowley: The One Who Finally Found Her Fit
Of the four, Katie's story might be the most honest about how much the right workplace can change someone's life.
When she applied to work at SRS, she was leaving a retail job and needed insurance. Well, she got the job. What she didn't expect was to find a place that would actually work with her—not just tolerate her, but genuinely accommodate her.
Katie has autism and ADHD, and she's open about what that means in a work environment. Early on, she recognized that the injection area was too overwhelming for her. Rather than being made to push through the discomfort, Stella, SRS’s Office Manager, worked with her to find a different path. That path led her to conducting patient workups. The repetitive, structured nature of workup appointments is exactly what Katie thrives on.
"Most people complain about workups being tedious and repetitive," she said. "And I'm like, 'No, that's what I like. Let me do that.'"
She's also the first to acknowledge that SRS is the longest she's ever held a job. For someone who typically hits a wall around the two-year mark, five years is remarkable. "If I can keep this job for five years, then my ability to keep other habits for that long is there. It proves I can do anything for that long."
The moment that stands out most to her happened in a workup room with a patient who had recently lost her husband. The woman was crying, admitted she was struggling with her mental health, and said she hadn't sought help because she didn't know what counseling could actually offer. Katie didn't brush past it. She stayed. She shared her own experience, and she named some local counselors.
The next week, the patient came back. She didn't remember Katie's name—but she remembered her cat's name.
"She said, 'You're Chubbs' mom!'" Katie recalled. "And she told me she got a counselor."
Outside of the clinic, Katie has a handful of meaningful pursuits she’s focused on. The stability of her job here makes those kinds of passion projects possible. "If I didn't have a job, I couldn't maintain my independence. I couldn't live on my own. I couldn't do all these other things."
Five years, to Katie, is proof of something. Not just about this job—but about herself.
Congratulations to Alexya, Ruben, Alyssa, and Katie on five years of showing up, learning, and making an impact on every patient who walks through the door. We’re lucky to have you at Panhandle Eye Group!