Dr. Alaina grew up on a farm in Iowa and first moved to the Chicago area to attend Trinity Christian College, earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology. She then went on to the Illinois College of Optometry where she received her Doctor of Optometry degree and graduated with Valedictory honors.

While a student at the Illinois College of Optometry, Dr. Alaina was involved with Special Olympics Illinois, acted as the student president and local liaison for the College of Optometrists in Vision Development and served as student president of Team Up Against Concussions for the Concussion Legacy Foundation. While participating in these organizations, she developed a passion for pediatric optometry, working with patients with developmental disabilities and providing vision therapy for adults and children with binocular vision disorders.

After completing her Doctor of Optometry degree, Dr. Alaina continued her education with a pediatric optometry and binocular vision residency at the Illinois College of Optometry, where she currently serves as an assistant clinical professor. Dr. Alaina is a member of the Gold Key International Optometry Honor Society, the Illinois Optometric Association, the College of Optometrists in Vision Development, and the American Academy of Optometry, where she was recently inducted as a Fellow of the Academy during its 2020 annual conference.

In her free time, Dr. Alaina enjoys spending time outdoors running, walking and dining in the South Loop, where she resides with her husband, Taylor, and dog, Olive. She also loves a good book and has been known to get lost working on jig-saw puzzles for hours.