PCO Grad Takes on Incredible Challenge and Beats the Odds

When Sigalit “Sigi” Davidov ‘21OD came to the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus University for her interview, she was already the mom of two and a half-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, Aiden and Kayla.

At that point, she herself wasn’t entirely convinced she’d be able to pursue a doctoral degree in optometry and handle the workload that came with it, given her family situation at home in Queens, New York. “But my husband and family pushed me. They said ‘We’re here, we’re going to support you and we’ll figure it out,’” said Davidov, who received her undergraduate degree in biology from Touro College in New York City.

That support encouraged her to move forward. And, her children played a big part in her decision to pursue a career in optometry. “They were a big part of the final decision. Every choice I made regarding my career was indirectly and essentially for them, to be a good role model for them, despite the odds, setbacks and obstacles,” said Davidov.

But it wasn’t until after she was accepted into the optometry program at PCO/Salus and paid her first-year deposit that she discovered another reality — she unknowingly had already been pregnant with her third child during the interview process.

“I had my son Zachary a month before school started so it was a very challenging decision whether I should start school or not, especially a school in another state,” said Davidov. Because of her husband’s job, the family couldn’t pick up and move from Queens to Philadelphia, so for the past four years, she has been driving to the University’s Elkins Park, Pennsylvania campus, staying for the week, and driving home on the weekends for four straight years. If that sounds difficult with three children under the age of five at home in another state, it is. And, then throw a worldwide pandemic into the mix and it was apparent that her sheer determination made it possible. 

Because of this hard work, on May 27, 2021, Davidov will graduate with a Doctor of Optometry in the Class of 2021. It’s a two-hour drive from New York to Philly one way. But it was renting an apartment in Philly and going home on the weekends that made the challenge possible. “Being away from the children, not being available to them when they needed me, was the most difficult. Especially with my youngest one, it was very hard that I couldn’t be there to raise him,” said Davidov. “But, the traveling on the weekends was the whole purpose, to make sure that they could still know they had a mother and that I was part of their lives, no matter what.”

Consequently, from an academic standpoint, the support from her husband David Shamayev and her mother, and their assurances enabled Davidov to devote her full concentration to studies and clinical practice during the week. “I was able to focus a lot more on school when I needed to. It was a little bit easier because I didn’t have to stay up at night with the kids, I could stay up at night and study,” she said. 

Davidov married before she had even decided what she wanted to do for a career, but she knew early on she was looking for something where she could be independent and have time with her family. The fact that everyone chipped in and did their part to help her excel through optometry school made her realize anything was possible. 

After graduation, Davidov wants to be around for her children as much as she can so she plans to take the summer and spend time with her family, then begin working full-time or part-time in the fall. “I wasn’t even sure that I’d make it to the end to be honest. But I feel extremely proud, I really do. I feel ecstatic to be finishing and coming home to my family and giving them the time they deserve from me,” she said. “I learned a lot through this experience. I learned that with the right motivation and the right mindset, and a good support system, anything is possible. In reality, we accomplished this all together, as a family.”