June 6, 2016
She might not look it, but Leontyne Thompson Love is "old school."
3 Career Tips
"You already have the tools and the skills to be successful. Now it's time to work with the company who is ready to help you be successful and to move forward in your career."
- Be Enthusiastic — Have a presence
- Know Exactly where you want your career to go
- Be Open-Minded about what's asked of you
— Leontyne Thompson Love,
JCPenney optical manager
More than 20 years ago, Love graduated from the American Career College of Optics in Los Angeles, which eventually expanded to become the present American Career College. On the last day of school, Love said ACC President and CEO David Pyle visited class and congratulated everyone for completing the program.
"He took a nice picture with me and now I am back again as an alumnus," she said.
Love is also the optical manager for JCPenney at Lakewood Center Mall and was at ACC-Orange County's spring career fair looking to hire an optical technician.
"You go to a school, you go out into the world, you do what you can to help others and then you come back and give feedback about what you've experienced and learned in the industry," she said.
Love needed glasses as a child and said she was always fascinated with lens selection, frame fitting and advances in optics technology. That curiosity, she said, helped her while she was in school and still helps her connect with patients today.
"I didn't really look at it like it was a stepping stone to other and greater things, I just used it to be able to fulfill what I wanted to do for the rest of my life," she said. "I use being an optician as part of my background to explain my experience and why I'm actually here today, doing what I do — either helping people with their glasses, making their glasses, talking about other items like management or why it makes sense to stay in the medical field."
Ontario Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2023 Inland Valley Daily Bulletin Readers Choice Awards.
LA Campus: Voted Best Career College in the 2023 LA Daily News Readers Choice Awards.
OC Campus: Voted Favorite Career College in the 2023 San Gabriel Valley Tribune Readers Choice Awards.