Sisterly Love Helps Siblings Graduate Together

The Panchal sisters – Sonia, 26, and Maya, 25 – always wanted to be healthcare professionals. But they never expected to achieve that dream together given their 16-month age difference and varied interests that led the siblings on their own individual journeys starting back in high school.

“Maya was in marching band, and she was good at clarinet as well. So, she wanted to stick with our public school system and I kind of wanted to see what else was out there,” said Sonia ‘21OD, who chose a vocational high school where she could load up on science classes to prepare for her undergraduate studies.

The Panchal sisters continued down separate roads, rooting for each other along the way to earning their bachelor’s degrees at different universities. Academically, their paths rarely intersected.

That is, until graduate school.

After spending eight years apart, forging their own paths, Sonia and Maya ‘21OD, came back together. The sisters will graduate together with their doctorate degrees in optometry during the University’s upcoming virtual Commencement May 27.

Earning a doctorate degree is one accomplishment, but sharing that milestone with a family member makes it feel even sweeter according to Sonia and Maya.

“I was really excited because we'd been apart,” Maya said. “She went to the University of the Sciences, and I went to Rowan. So, I was excited to spend more time with her. But also, I felt comfortable knowing that I would already have a best friend who I could count on.”

And achieving their shared goal despite all the challenges and uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic makes it that much more rewarding.

“My biggest concern was boards because we had been studying for a really long time, probably six or seven months at that point,” Maya said. “Then they ended up canceling it a couple days before, it was all up in the air. It was just a really stressful time for that reason.”

Sonia agreed, “I think that was the most anxious we had ever felt, not knowing what was going on, not knowing if it was going to set back our graduation or our ability to get a job on time and all of that.”

The pandemic wasn’t the only unexpected twist on their paths to graduate degrees. In fact, it wasn’t until Maya completed her bachelor’s degree in only three years while they both worked part time at the retailer, LensCrafters, when they realized their paths would finally merge at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Salus.

Roommates from the first semester, Sonia and Maya not only had each other to lean on throughout the transition to graduate school and the challenging coursework that followed, they also developed a few relaxation rituals together.

“We binge-watched ‘The Office’ and ‘That '70s Show.’ Whenever it was stressful, I feel like we would both be watching TV or cooking,” Sonia said. “We got to cook a lot together, went to the grocery store together, tried out new recipes, went to the gym. That was kind of how we de-stressed.”

As the Panchal sisters prepare to graduate next week, they’re looking forward to starting in their practices; both Sonia and Maya landed full-time positions as optometrists. But they will reflect on the bond they shared at PCO/Salus for a lifetime.

“She's still my baby sister, even though we're only 16 months apart,” Sonia said. “When we're stressed or something like that, I always feel I need to take care of her as well. I feel like I'm going to be so emotional about it on graduation day and I think it's something that I will always remember, and I'll be telling my kids about.”

“Even though we won't be together every day anymore, I know that I'll still have her whenever I need her because she is my sister,” Maya said.

As proud as the sisters are of themselves, perhaps the Panchal’s parents are the proudest. After all, the original inspiration behind Sonia and Maya’s success story at Salus is an optician they call, “mom.”

“She is over the moon excited,” Maya said. “Both my parents are, but especially my mom.”