Student of the Month: Twins’ Perspective

Imagine having someone who shares many of the intricacies of your life. They have birthday, share your room, and occupy the same grade level on your campus. Since Day 1, twins’ lives are fully connected. From that first cry, each will always be associated with a twin brother or sister, something unique to about 1 in 250 pregnancies.  

Bonds between siblings are valuable indeed, but the bond twins share is unique, because living through the nearly identical circumstances is something most won’t understand.  

But there are also unspoken challenges to the scenario. Picture having someone regularly lurking in your shadow, drawing ongoing comparisons. Imagine being held to similar standards simply by sharing a birthday. Lina and Jenna A., two eighth-graders at Day Creek Intermediate School, have experienced these feelings for as long as they can remember. 

Yet both were surprised when they received the identical award during the same month from their teachers. On Tuesday, each was honored with a Student of the Month Award for Responsibility during the month of August. 

“Finding out we both got Student of the Month was pretty surprising. Especially since only a handful of kids get it, and we both happened to get chosen,” said Jenna. 

Jenna had texted Lina upon finding out she’d earned her award. Lina did not know that she would receive the same recognition later that day. 

This was a unique moment for both girls. But what if only one of them had been recognized for Day Creek’s Responsibility SOTM award? This is one of those cons, as twins often compete without even realizing that it’s a competition. 

“It’s hard to have a twin shadowing me because Lina has always been a bit smarter than me. Although we both get high honor roll, people would still compare us, such as students in our grade, friends, and sometimes teachers,” said Jenna. 

But with these twins, supporting each other comes first no matter the circumstances. 

“To me, I wouldn’t mind if she got an award and I didn’t. It’s happened before over the past two years, and it doesn’t affect me at all. No matter how competitive we are, I would still be proud of her for receiving an award,” said Lina.

 Family support is invaluable, particularly in times like these. Each of us hopes for that confirmation home, in times of hardship or simplicity. As twins, Lina and Jenna are confident that they can count on each other, regardless of which sister is honored in her moment. 

“A great thing about having a twin sister is that we are able to have a very special bond and will be there for each other no matter what,” said Lina.