Sibling Revelry: Two Sisters Find Their Calling in Eye Care

Botamina and Mariem Girgis are chasing their medical dreams together.

Plenty of people are close with their families, but how many can say they attended the same high school, college, and graduate school as their sibling? Botamina and Mariem Girgis, two sisters and Worcester County natives, can claim that distinction.

“Our parents are happy that we look out for each other,” said Botamina, Doctor of Optometry '29.

Older sister Mariem is a recent graduate of the School of Optometry at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). She’s still a source of support for Botamina, who just finished her first year at MCPHS after earning a bachelor’s degree in biology and mathematics from the College of the Holy Cross, Mariem’s own alma mater. Their one-year overlap at MCPHS gave them ample opportunity to chat about everything from clinical rotations to classwork.

“She’d answer my questions and give me the reassurance I needed,” Botamina said.

Mariem says that Botamina’s company switched up her routine. “For most of optometry school, I would only go to class, then the library, and then home. I didn’t really do anything fun during the week. Then Botamina started school and started asking me if I wanted to get coffee before class—I was like, wait, that’s a possibility?” Mariem said, laughing.

Parallels and Passions

The two sisters have their differences, of course. Mariem likes to bake and sew (recently, she made four cheesecakes in two weeks), while Botamina enjoys photography and traveling. And while Mariem has always been firm in her desire to become an optometrist, Botamina took longer to arrive at her decision.

“I love biology and thought maybe I’d want a career in that world. I also really like statistics and math and thought maybe I’d pursue something in those fields. I was kind of all over the place,” Botamina said. “I talk to Mariem about everything, so I told her about my dilemma. And she said, ‘Wait, this is going to sound crazy, but how about optometry?’"

Botamina wasn’t entirely convinced at first, but she eventually realized optometry, with its blend of biology, math, and pathology, could be her calling, too.

“I found local optometrists, shadowed them, did a little work, and decided, yeah, optometry is it,” Botamina said. “There are a lot of numbers and a lot of opportunity to treat disease.”

A Life-Changing Diagnosis 

Mariem’s journey into optometry began when she was 7 and developed amblyopia, commonly known as a “lazy eye,” a condition that can cause lifelong reduced vision if left untreated. After noticing the issue, Mariem’s eye doctor took steps to correct it, helping to preserve her vision and sparking an early appreciation for eye care.

“If my eyesight wasn't saved at that moment, the critical period would've been over for visual development and I would've had to deal with the effects for my whole life,” Mariem said. “Because of my doctor, I now have 20-20 vision. Growing up, I thought a lot about that, and it was the inspiration for me to pursue optometry. We take our eyes for granted a lot.”

Mariem plans to take a short break before she starts working, but is set to start her first post-graduate job as an optometrist in Hopkinton, MA. She said she thinks the optometry program at MCPHS has left her well-prepared.

“After four years, we speak like doctors, and we think like doctors. I'm still shocked at how my efficiency has gone up, and clinical decision-making has improved, and the growth that I've had,” she said.

Looking to the Future 

Is it possible that one day the sisters will open up a practice together? They said it’s a long way off, but not at all out of the question. And Botamina has already started thinking about how their office would function.

“Mariem would be perfect as the face of patient care, and she’s creative, so she’d be great at marketing. I’d probably be good at patient care, too, and better at the business side,” Botamina said. “We kind of balance each other out. We make great sisters, but we would be great business partners.”