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Optometry
She doesn’t really believe she has any special superhero powers, but those close to Anna German, OD ‘26, might think otherwise.
Consider this: Dr. German graduated from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) at Drexel University as valedictorian of the Class of 2026. And, she and her husband, Campbell German, a captain in the U.S. Marine Corps, made a conscious decision to start their family right in the middle of Dr. German’s rigorous Accelerated Scholars Doctor of Optometry (OD) program at PCO.
“We really wanted kids, and we were extremely excited when we found out I was pregnant,” said Dr. German before delivering remarks to her classmates at PCO’s 131st commencement ceremony Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. “We knew we were crazy, but we made a decision, and it ended up going really well.”
It did indeed. Ruth German was born in January 2025, almost exactly at the halfway point of Doctor of Optometry candidate Accelerated Scholars program - and just seven weeks before she sat for Part I of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) certification exam, the rigorous licensing examination administered to aspiring optometrists across the United States by the independent, non-profit organization.
In fact, talk about evidence of superhero powers: Dr. German gave birth to Ruth on Jan. 20 and took a final at PCO on Jan. 31, 2025.
A central message Dr. German shared from the Academy of Music stage during the historic commencement ceremony – the first for PCO since its merger with Drexel University in July 2025 - was that women do not have to choose between a meaningful profession and a fulfilling family life. She’s quick to emphasize, however, that achieving both is possible with a tremendous support system tailored to one’s specific circumstances.
That support began with Dr. German’s husband, even though he was deployed when Ruth was seven months old and didn’t see his family again for the next seven months. But he added seeing his wife on the commencement stage was “amazing.”
“I know Ruth won’t remember this day, but I hope she’ll be able to look at pictures someday of her mom graduating as a doctor. We’re all so proud of her,” said Capt. German.
With the deployment of Capt. German soon after his daughter’s birth, Dr. German’s mother, Dana Daniels, a speech-language pathologist who lives in Mississippi, retired and stepped into that void. She traveled to the Philadelphia area to help take care of Ruth, and watch her during Dr. German’s travel to externship sites in the last year of her program.
It didn’t end there. Her PCO/Drexel family provided much-appreciated support as well.
“I spent a lot of time pretty much by myself, especially while I was on externships,” said Dr. German, who noted the support of her father, Steve Daniels, as well. “But I had some incredible professors who really went out of their way to take care of me, not only professionally, but personally, passing down hand-me-downs, bringing meals, that kind of thing. They really stepped up for me in ways I never could have asked and especially couldn't have imagined.”
Dr. German admitted that the challenges of being a first-time mother in an accelerated Doctor of Optometry program were many. And, she had to take it not only one day at a time, but oftentimes one hour at a time.
“Just get through the next hour, get through the next diaper change, get through the next test, get through the next milestone, and just chip away at this degree one day at a time was the reality,” said Dr. German. “It’s very exciting to be on the other end of that now. I think that I'm far tougher than I ever imagined and that I have depths that I didn't know I could get to. Then finding out that I was going to graduate as valedictorian was really just the cherry on top.”
As a graduate of the U.S. Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP), Dr. German will soon begin the next chapter of her journey. Following PCO’s commencement, she is scheduled to attend Officer Development School at the end of August before beginning active duty service as an optometrist at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where her husband is currently stationed.
For those who find themselves in similar circumstances, Dr. German re-emphasizes it takes a village to be successful.
“Find your people and lean into them,” she said. “You don’t have to do it by yourself. And, once you get on the other side of it and you’re at that moment of celebration, look at them and say thank you and tell them that this degree is for them, too.”
