B4 Features
The Chronicle
March 18, 2015
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2 Bridging the Gap Older siblings—much older siblings— can offer advice on which are the best teachers, where to go to college and what jobs to explore or avoid.
By Sharon Chow
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there isn’t a close connection between her and her siblings. s the youngest of three “All of them are open and children, Jenna Thomp- ready to support me and see how son ’16 first noticed the I’m growing up and how I’m going age gap between herself and her to continue life after high school,” sisters when she was six years Coles said. “In general, we’re all old. She and her middle sister just a really happy family, and stopped playing together because even though everyone is living her sister had started middle in completely different places school. Her oldest sister, who is 10 and living different lives, we’re years older than Thompson, “was still a very tight-knit family.” never really a sister to me; she Henry Platt ’17 was more like a mom,” she said. has four older siblings. Thompson said she feels “We all treat each other like an only child because her equally, and, I mean, they like to two sisters are rarely at home. pick on me sometimes because Thompson is also not very close I’m really young, but they still to them for the same reason. love me,” Platt said. “We still all “I was treated differently be- have very close connections, and cause they are only four years I don’t think that the age has apart, and they had more life ex- really affected that too much.” periences in common, but I was As the youngest, Platt has very much the baby,” Thomp- found that he has been given son said. “Sometimes you just more freedom by his parents want your sisters to be your sis- compared to his older siblings. ters instead of your sisters be“With my older siblings, [my ing your moms.” parents] were She is only very strict and one of many stutesting out all of [Seth] has dents at Harvardthe new rules,” Westlake with Platt said. “But become such a big siblings much with me, the rules part in all of our lives, older or younger have changed than them. Of a little bit.” and we all love him so 429 students in Platt has also much.” a Chronicle poll, found that the 43 percent said of —Jona Yadidi ’16 experiences they have siblings his siblings, all with at least a of whom went to five-year age gap. Harvard-WestNinety-six percent said they lake, made his school experience believe that their siblings have easier because he knew what to had a positive effect on their lives. expect. He also knows what to Tiana Coles ’16 feels that expect from his siblings’ differher siblings, whose ages range ent occupations but does not feel from 26 to 32, have occasion- pressured to pursue a specific ally been more parental around occupation because of them. Saher. Because her siblings all mantha ’01 is a teacher, Jonah have children of their own, ’04 is a writer and actor, Hannah their parental concern some- ’08 is a summer camp program times transfers onto Coles. director, and Ben ’11 is an actor. “In general, I’m a little bit Coles believes that seeing her more reserved around them,” siblings work hard and become she said. “I feel like we can’t successful in their occupations really relate sometimes be- has influenced both her work ethcause we’re at completely dif- ic and her outlook on the future. ferent points of our lives.” “My two oldest siblings inColes said that doesn’t mean spire me a lot because my family
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PHOTOS PRINTED WITH PERMISSION OF JENNA THOMPSON, JONA YADIDI, HENRY PLATT AND TIANA COLES
FAMILIAL CONNECTIONS: 1: Tiana Coles ’16, right, is the youngest of five siblings, some of whom already have children. 2: Jenna Thompson ’16, right, is younger than her two sisters, both of whom live in other cities. 3: Siblings of Henry Platt ’17, center, returned to HarvardWestlake to watch Platt’s performance in the upper school musical “Company” last fall. 4: Jona Yadidi ’16, left, and Noa Yadidi ’14, right, sightsee in Jerusalem with their baby brother Seth Yadidi.
doesn’t come from a lot of privilege, and they are perfect examples of being able to surpass an underprivileged lifestyle,” Coles said. “There’s no set outline of what success is in our family, but that knowledge and the comfort that it’s worked out for my siblings is helpful right now.” Like Coles, Thompson has extra knowledge about certain occupations because her sisters have chosen them. Based on their experiences, Thompson believes that she is more prepared to choose a major and a profession more suited to her personality and interests. “I’ve seen how hard it is to get into college and the paths that you can take in once you get out of college,” Thompson said. “They both wanted to go into business, and I’m more creative, so I got to see what they had to go through, and they might have influenced me [in that respect].” Jona Yadidi ’16 has three siblings, Noa ’19, Eli ’13 and the youngest, Seth, who is 3 years old. “My sister and I are very close,” Yadidi said. “We’re like best friends because we grew up together. With my baby brother, I’m helping him with everything. There’s actually a joke in my family with Seth that he has three moms: my mom, me and my sister.” Yadidi believes that having such a young brother has made her more compassionate toward her friends and family as she now takes more time to understand their feelings and problems. She also has learned to set time aside to play with Seth. Some activities that Yadidi and her brother do together include playing soccer in the house or watching Disney cartoon movies. Sometimes, she will reenact scenes from movies such as “The Lion King” or “Frozen” with him. “[Seth] has become such a big part in all of our lives, and we all love him so much,” Yadidi said. “I think he’s brought us closer as a family too.”