CITY HIGH

Nina Peterson ‘25 says. “I don’t think that [having a twin] is objectively worse than having an older sibling or a younger sibling.”

“It’s in most ways similar, but I think it can be a little bit more intense. You’re in the same grade, we have a lot of the same interests. It’s kind of built in competition in a way which can be a really good thing if you’re talking about sports and academics. That can kind of push you to be better. But it can be a bit much sometimes”

Nina says.

Struggles with Individuality

With being a twin, comes a struggle with individuality. Since birth, many twins have been forced to share things. A birthday, toys, and in some cases, a nearly identical face. Because of this, according to Will, twins may view individuality differently.

“We have different things we do for sure” Will Karr ‘25 says. “He’s way more school oriented and I don’t really love school. There’s other things like cross country. He runs every day, has a strict schedule, and I’m just doing whatever I want. We’re very similar, but in other ways [different].”

In the fight to find oneself while having someone so similar to them, it’s not abnormal to try harder than the average person.

“I [felt like I] have to do stuff to try and make myself more individual” Julia Shannon ‘26 says.

Although Nina and Nicole are able to see each other’s differences, due to them being twins, that isn’t the case for outsiders.

“It depends on the person because I know that it gets hard when people can’t tell us apart. There are definitely people that can tell us apart, whether it’s by appearance or by “vibes.” For people that don’t know us very well, it’s kind of a tendency to sort of see us as the twins, just kind of as an entity. For people that know us really well, they do see us as individuals. We can also be treated as a team, a unit. When people don’t know us really well, that can happen” Nicole Peterson ‘25 says.

Outro

Twins have a special bond due to their shared strugles. Despite the differences between twin and non-twin relationships, it’s clear that being a twin is a very enjoyable experience for most.

“It’s just like having another friend. [Life is] not gonna be any different because you have a twin.” You’re still separate people.”

Will says.