Whether it is driving around together, seeing each other at school, or hanging out, the comfort of having a twin is the best part of the sibling experience, senior Hunter Johnson said.
As twins grow up and move on to the next stages of their lives, their relationship changes in tandem. Whether they will be moving across the country from each other or attending the same school, twins experience an adjustment that is unique.
For Hunter and his twin brother, senior Gardner Johnson, the change is not as grand as what others will go through. They will both attend and play Division III football at Denison University in Ohio. Denison originally showed interest in Gardner, who then informed the program about Hunter, leading the school to extend an offer to both twins, Hunter explained.
“It is going to be awesome going to college with him because every opportunity I have, he’s gonna be there, and he’s the reason I’m here,” Hunter said.
Similarly to the Johnsons, senior twins Ohan and Vahan Harabetian will attend the same school— Northwestern University. After four years of participating in many of the same activities, Ohan and Vahan will be pursuing different fields at Northwestern. While Vahan plans to study Math and Economics, Ohan will go into Data Science. Despite their different careers, going to schools at least near each other factored into their college search, Vahan said.
“When I decided to go Early Decision to Northwestern, Ohan said, ‘I’ll do it too’,” Vahan said. “There’s a bunch of other factors that he considered, but a big one was that we wanted to still have that closeness physically.”
Similarly, seniors Asher and Maddy Preston have shared many activities, including three fall plays, one winter play, four V-Shows, and three musicals; but as they graduate, their shared activities will cease, Maddy said. Maddy plans to attend Fordham University in New York, NY and Asher is taking a gap year and will pursue musical theatre in Austin, TX. However, for Maddy, parting ways for the future does not seem like a negative.
“Part of me feels that the separation might be a good thing for us,” Maddy said. “I don’t think there’ll be any sense of ‘Oh no, I can’t believe you’re so far away, what am I going to do?’”
That being said, departing from the person who can relate to your situation at all times will be challenging, Maddy said. Asher is someone Maddy can always talk to during their performances at South; as they follow their own paths next year, that relationship won’t be the same, she said.
“If I’m auditioning for a group in college, he won’t be as accessible or he won’t be going through the same thing,” Maddy said.
Seniors Nolan and Spencer Kuhn will also be attending different colleges. Spencer plans to study Journalism at the University of Missouri and Nolan will study Business at Miami University in Ohio. Even though they will be separating, their bond won’t change, Nolan said.
“I wanted to carve out my own path,” Nolan said. “I knew that if I wanted to pursue my dream of being in a business profession, then I would have the greatest chance of that at Miami of Ohio, which is away from my family.”
While the separation will be a difficult change for the brothers and best friends, Nolan and Spencer do not see their bond changing, Nolan said.
“With the amount of times we talk throughout the day, see each other at South, and hang out outside of school, I really don’t see college changing our relationship,” Nolan said.
For all twins, the relationship they have with their sibling has shaped them, no matter how much it will change after they graduate, Nolan said. Having a twin throughout childhood gives you a built-in best friend, he said.
“Having your twin in person is a huge advantage because you have another person who thinks like you, understands your situation, knows how you feel, and connects with you differently than other humans,” Nolan said.