Sean ’21
AIMING HIGH AND FLYING IN FORMATION Twins Sean ’21 and Andrew Bird ’22 share a sense of purpose while exceeding their personal bests in separate fields Twins Andrew ’22 and Sean Bird ’21 aren’t your typical feuding brothers. After growing up in Schaumburg, Ill., they decided to attend college together at North Central. They have similar interests—both grew up playing soccer and they’re both inclined toward the sciences. Andrew is a physics major and Sean, a biology major. They’re even roommates. They will graduate from the College apart as Sean moves on to medical school in the fall and Andrew stays at North Central to finish his degree. But they don’t plan to be separated for long, as both want to serve in the United States Air Force—Andrew as a pilot and Sean as a doctor. Andrew admits their relationship can be hard at times. “As a twin, you get paired up with your other half your entire life,” he said. “If I do something, Sean automatically gets associated with it. So in that way, you don’t have your own identity.” The brothers don’t really mind; in fact, they looked at it as an advantage when they were headed for college. “We’d been together all our lives and having a close friend (right away) in college is always a plus,” said Sean. Andrew added, “There are some days we don’t even see each other, but it’s still (great) knowing … I can go to him, I can rely on him.”
Athletics drew the brothers to consider North Central, which they did independent of one another, according to Andrew. “We didn’t really plan to go to the same college, but I think for both of us, it was soccer.” They were recruited together from the Schaumburg High School boys’ team. Their parents were instrumental in their choice, reminding them to find a school that provided them with other options in case soccer didn’t work out. Sean recalls taking that advice to heart and looking hard at everything the College had to offer. “I think I was the first one to decide to go to North Central,” he said. “I liked the location; I liked that it was right next to downtown Naperville. And I liked the small class sizes. You’ve got that interaction with professors that you might not get at (other) schools.” As it turned out, their parents’ advice was invaluable. Both Andrew and Sean struggled with injuries at North Central. After Andrew suffered a concussion and Sean had complications from previous injuries to his knee and hips, the brothers decided it was time to try something else. Andrew was in a tough place when his athletic career ended abruptly. “After soccer, it was hard for me to work out,” he recalled. “I could (feel) myself giving up. I knew I needed a purpose.”
1 4 NORTH CENTRAL COLLEGE northcentralcollege.edu
