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

Sean ’21

Andrew ’22

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.”

“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.”

He found that purpose joining the Air Force ROTC program. Andrew says the brothers didn’t grow up in a military family, but “I was always drawn to having the opportunity to serve my country,” and ROTC was his chance to find new purpose.

“Being part of something greater than just myself gave me the opportunity.”

He threw himself into his cadet training, and it paid off. “I did my absolute best in the program and tried to keep as many doors open as possible, and one of those doors was being a pilot,” he said, even though that hadn’t been a lifelong dream, either. “So far, I haven’t closed that door—no one’s told me ‘No’ yet.”

Sean’s new beginning came from seeds planted in high school.

“My senior year … I took anatomy and physiology, and my teacher was blown away by how well I did,” Sean said. “He took me aside and said, ‘I think you have what it takes. You should try to go to med school.’” He got similar reinforcement at North Central from Professor of Chemistry Jeffrey Jankowski.

While he initially thought he might be a physical therapist, Sean pivoted to medicine after consulting with Marguerite Degenhardt, the College’s pre-professional health program coordinator. She guided him to North

Central’s early acceptance program in partnership with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM), which allowed him to enroll in medical school while still working on his bachelor’s degree. He will start at LECOM’s Florida campus in the fall.

The brothers credit much of their success to personal attention from faculty as well as a shared sense of commitment with fellow students. “North Central students are here to get an education. To see other motivated students only motivates you more. That helps a ton.”

Andrew’s search for his drive has “evolved and been strengthened from the past experiences. First it was soccer … then it was ROTC, then it was finding a scholarship to pay for college, then it was working … to try to compete for a pilot slot.”

They are tremendously grateful to their nation and their family. For both brothers, it always comes back to that.

“(There’s) no greater purpose than serving your country,” said Andrew. “It’s a way to … show gratitude for the opportunities that we have.”

“Our parents and our family have been awesome to us,” added Sean. “They’ve been our rock. To get to a day when we’ll be able to repay them in some way, I think that’s really a motivating factor.”