Easy Cell

A PEOPLE PERSON WITH MEDICINE AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HER BLOOD, IT WAS NOT HARD FOR MEG RICHARDSON ’03 TO FALL IN LOVE WITH OPTOMETRY.

— By Aliya Pitts, Chief Advancement Officer

She’s always loved science, nothing grosses her out, and she’s a Prairie lifer-turned-mom of two students: meet Meg Richardson ’03, the owner of Twenty Twenty Family Vision, an optometry practice in Sturtevant. You can call her “Dr. Meg,” as she’s affectionately known by her patients.

First thing’s first: what made you choose to become an optometrist?

My grandpa and great uncle were both optometrists, so it kind of runs in the family. I shadowed one in high school and again in college and it felt like a fit; I appreciated the good work/life balance while still being in the medical field. I was also considering environmental science.

Not many people know this, but you’re also a doula. Tell me how that factors in.

Being a doula is about emotional support more than clinical work. I had one [a doula] and it made a big difference in my birth experiences – so I wanted to share that with others. The birth of a child is such a strongly emotional time! It felt important to support other people in this. I’ve always been the kind of person where nothing grosses me out, so the birthing part was no big deal.

Earliest or coolest math or science memory at Prairie?

My favorite teachers made math and science relatable. I didn’t really like math until middle school algebra with Mr. Huizinga; he made his classes into a story format where all the variables had names – Mr. Green Chips! – which kept it fun.

In science, Mr. Will was my favorite – and I loved environmental science. He was chill, but also made class really interesting. He taught a lot of animal behavior lessons, which I loved.

Cell biology with Mrs. Maraccini! How bodies work is so interesting – and this is what really got me into biology. I always liked science, and I loved learning that cells are these little self-functioning bodies that make up our tissues…that make our bodies work.

Give us a cool eye-related fact.

Eyes are the only part of the body where you can see blood vessels without doing an invasive procedure. And they’re a team: in order to accurately perceive our world, you need to have two eyes that work together. Someone with one functional eye cannot see in 3D – there’s no space or depth perception.

Another thing is that 70% of our learning is visual, so vision is super important for everything else we do.

I enjoy talking to all different types of people, and I love helping solve problems. I think we’re all helpers at our core –and now I do that every day. Plus, eyes are fascinating!

How does Prairie figure into your career now?

Prairie gave me a great foundation to be able to handle the requirements of college and optometry school. More than that, it set me off on a path of lifelong learning and curiosity.

As a lifer, what’s it like to be a Prairie parent?

Note: Meg and her husband Brendan Kelly are the parents of Amelia ’30 and Nora ’32.

It’s amazing! I definitely didn’t appreciate Prairie as much when I went there as I do now as an adult. To be able to send my kids here and see it from a parent perspective…I know exactly how wonderful their education and opportunities are.

Tell us about your life as a small business owner.

I founded my practice in 2017, and I’m proud of the fact that it’s entirely woman-owned and operated. Before that, I was working at a chain, out of town, and I wanted to come back closer to Racine. I looked around for jobs in the area and didn’t see anything that felt quite right, so I went out and started my own. My dad was a small business owner in Racine my whole life – he owned Camera World – so this felt familiar to me, like I could handle it.

What’s your best advice for a woman who wants to work in a STEM field?

I think my advice applies to anyone: even if you don’t know what you ultimately want to do, just do the next thing, or take the next class, or talk to the next person with a cool career that you think you might enjoy. Basically, follow your heart and it will take you to the next right step. If you’re doing what you enjoy the most, it won’t feel difficult if you truly love it.