Most people have siblings, and if you do, you would know it’s a constant cycle of competition, annoyance, support, love, and hate. But what about those with twins? Whether it be an identical twin some may mistake you for, or a fraternal twin you’re automatically associated with, does it really have an effect on someone’s life?  This becomes an even bigger question when you have to go to school everyday with your twin. 

Ethan and Jackson Bae, two seniors currently at Sequoia, are fraternal twins. When asked if people tend to associate them together, and how it feels, they had answers ready.  

“I feel like people associate me with [Jackson], but that doesn’t mean they don’t see me as a separate person,” Ethan Bae said. “I don’t think it has much of an effect,”  Jackson Bae said. “Our close friends associate us together, but the people I meet in a class he’s not in might not know [Ethan] exists.”

Brooke and Megan Elgaaen, a pair of twins in their sophomore year, were asked the same question.

“It’s not bad. but it’s also sometimes good to be known for yourself instead of who you’re related to,” Brooke Elgaaen said.

Sibling competition tends to be strong, but is it much different amongst twins.

“It’s good to have some competition, it  constantly drives us to be our best selves,” Jackson Bae said.

Academically, because most twins go to the same school and are in the same grade, it makes competition more prominent.

“[We compare ourselves] all the time. It’ll be whatever, say when grades come back at the end of the semester, if one of us gets a better grade, then we rub it in each other’s faces,” Megan Elgaaen said.

Again, a question of the social aspect within being a twin arises. Megan and Brooke, as well as Ethan and Jackson seemed to hold the same friends groups with their twins. 

“We have the same group of friends. So we’re together all the time,” Brooke Elgaaen said. 

“Whenever I want to hang out with my friends, she has to come because she’s also friends with them and it gets kind of annoying,” Megan Elgaaen said.

On the other hand, within Sequoia’s staff, there are a few twins, including Julio Calles, a Spanish teacher. While interesting to view the perspective of two students who go to school together and have lived together for all of their lives so far, an adult perspective brings light to what it’s like being a twin in conditions where they aren’t always together. Calles got along well with his brother when they were younger, and continues to as an adult. 

Calles, who has a strong relationship with his brother, remarked on it during the interview. “My twin brother is everything, everything in my life. I’ve got to be close to him, I’ve got to know exactly how he’s doing, everything about him. If I don’t hear from him, my day is not gonna be the same,” Calles said. 

“I decided to come to the United States, my brother stayed in Canada, but it wasn’t the same.” Calles said, remarking on how his bond with his brother has affected his life over the years. “So I decided to bring him here because like I said, we’ve got to be close to each other.” 

Despite the competition within twins, it’s still clear that behind that twins have one of the strongest bonds you can have between siblings.