Twins Laura (left) and Jennifer Loesch ’09.
Identical twins Amanda (Mandy) and Jessica Baum ’10, from Paradise Valley, AZ, and Jennifer and Laura Loesch ’09, from Sierra Madre, CA, have found that a small college can be a more liberating environment than a large high school. “At Scripps, people seem to be more open-minded and not driven by preconceived notions or twin myths,” relates Mandy Baum. Laura Loesch agrees: “I feel like much more of an individual at Scripps than in high school.We took all the same classes in high school, and many people simply referred to us as ‘the twins.’ Now we have different majors, take different classes, and some people don’t even know that I have a twin!” “Some people think I just change clothes a lot,” explains Jennifer Loesch.The twins’ ability to pull off the “clothing switch trick” can confound people, postponing the moment when they realize that one young woman can’t possibly metamorphose so quickly or so often.“We’re used to the different attention we get, but Scripps is a really good place to become more of an individual.” While the Loesch twins share a quad room with two other friends, there is a broad consensus among sisters on campus that separate rooms are necessary for maintaining a close relationship. “No, we do not room together,” says Lily Carstens, a senior from Berkeley. “Are you kidding?” “I like to sneak into her room,” admits Alana Carstens, a firstyear student who is often mistaken for her big sister. “It’s important to have one’s own space,” asserts Megan Hanley, who also shares the campus with a first-year sister. “Erin comes to my room when she needs advice about classes. I steal her clothes sometimes. I should probably return those.” Having a sister to steal—or even borrow—from while in college is a perk, but even more valuable is the feeling of comfort, home, and being understood down to one’s core. Arielle Bauer ’08, of Nevada City, CA, appreciates knowing that her best friend in the world is only a dorm away, while her sister Alex ’10 feels a sense
Alexandra ’10 (left) and Arielle ’08 Bauer in Margaret Fowler Garden.
of pride when she introduces herself as “Arielle’s little sister.” “We act much more like best friends than sisters,” says Amy Zug, a first-year student from Haverford, PA, who told her older sister, Keri, about the friendly, down-to-earth school she was applying to in Southern California. Sometimes little sisters do know best. After some long discussions with Amy, Keri applied as well and transferred to Scripps from Middlebury College this year. Sofia Stenson ’10, from Phoenix, AZ, who has her “step-twin” (step-sister Suzie Caughlin was born the same day as Sofia) at Scripps and sister Katie at Pomona College, finds the sisterly connections provide her with both comfort and more social opportunities. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to who knows you really well. It’s also really nice to have different friends so that we can introduce each other to different people. It helps us to get out and socialize more.” Perhaps it’s the “family away from home” quality of Scripps that makes it so attractive to sisters. (Jennifer Loesch is even trying to convince her cousin to apply.) Scripps’ sisters live and grow within a campus environment that is itself especially intimate and supportive.While pursuing their own academic passions and cultivating their own friends, sisters manage to deepen their sibling relationships through shared experiences on campus, whether it be a late-night study break or a raid on each other’s closets. After all, what’s a little larceny between sisters?
SPRING 2007
SCRIPPS COLLEGE
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