According to sophomores, having an older sibling in school with them brings mixed feelings. While it is great to have a role model, Taylor Jesse struggles with fulfilling the same standard as her older sister, Kyndall.
“Growing up in elementary and middle school, Kyndall had a reputation of being a great student.” Jesse said. “Now in high school, she’s in honors societies and hard classes, which sets up an expectation that’s hard to meet.”
Not only is it hard to live up to her sister’s accomplishments, Jesse constantly finds herself attached to her sister.
“Teachers and upperclassmen call me Kyndall’s little sister.” Jesse said. “I have always lived in her shadow and haven’t had my own identity.”
While there are downsides to having an older sibling, sophomore Allison Colozza finds ways to work with and follow the lead of her older sister, Julia, a senior.
“Julia has a good reputation so I try to take after what she does.” Colozza said. “Everyone has their own learning capabilities so it’s okay if she’s better at something that I struggle with.”
Sophomore Nate Loiterstein finds ways to separate himself from his older brother’s reputation, but still strives to be better.
“I try to compete with him academically.” Loiterstein said. “I’ll try to get a better grade on a test than he did and hold it over him.”
While Jesse struggles with finding her identity, it is challenging because she looks up to her older sister as a role model.
“Me and Kyndall have always taken similar classes because we’ve had similar interests.” Jesse said. “I always took the classes she took because I wanted to follow her path.”
Sophomore Serena Huang has a high academic expectation to follow because of her older sister, Emily, who graduated in 2023.
“I know that my older sibling had really good grades and it’s an expectation that I also have good grades,” Huang said.
Day to day Colozza doesn’t see herself constantly being compared to her older sister, but she has been treated differently.
“Teachers and coaches have been nicer to me because they liked Julia and assumed I was similar,” Colozza said.
Not only has Huang felt this way in the school setting, but also out in public, which can be bothersome.
“Sometimes in social situations when I’m talking to people who know both of us, I feel a little left out because my older sibling is better at talking and interacting,” Huang said. “However in school and academic settings, I think we are seen as different people.”
Even though Loiterstein doesn’t struggle with separating himself from his brother, he experiences people who have high hopes for him because of his sibling.
“My brother is pretty athletic so upperclassmen assume the same for me.” Loiterstein said. “He’s quiet and I don’t think I am so teachers don’t always expect similar things for us.”
All in all, having an older sibling has helped Huang be successful in school.
“Honestly it was really helpful because I was told all the classes I should take and clubs to join.” Huang said. “I’ve also seen my older sibling go through a lot of tough decisions like choosing classes and college decisions. Now I know how to work through those things better.”
