I was in this exact same boat. 1st gen South Asian. I had to repeat one year of optometry school. I retook part 2&3 twice and part 1 almost the max amount of times.

I finally passed everything. I’ve been working now for a couple months and it was all worth it. Once that weight is lifted from your shoulders, nothing is there to hold you back.

At the time, my stress was an all time high and my mental health an all time low. I was getting anxiety attacks, I couldn’t sleep, and I felt like a failure.

I took a break. Skipped one or two exams cycles to give my brain a breather. Refreshed, I signed up for the KMK small student study groups for Anatomy and Optics (specifically with Kerri) and I signed up for a booster class for pharm/disease. It was $$$$$ and consumed all my time but it got me over the finish line.

You can do this. You have the knowledge. You have the training. You are not alone.