I am NOT a TWIN!

Andrew and Kyle Godfrey are students at Central Connecticut State University (CCSU). Andrew majors in computer science and Kyle is in accounting. You will probably run into them either having lunch with friends or at the CCSU gym working out. At the first glimpse, their outer appearances are nearly identical. However, they cringe whenever others refer to them as twins. Andrew, despite the relatively mallow attitude, dislikes when people would comment about them by saying, "The twins... ." In fact, both of them insist that they prefer being recognized as Andrew and Kyle, not the Godfrey twins.

Kyle performed exceptionally well in one of my very challenging courses. He was quiet in class, but often ready to contribute learning. Kyle exhibited the traits of a deep thinker and was not afraid of telling facts without worrying how his peers viewed him. On the other hand, I got to know Andrew from our overlapped time at the campus gym. He often worked out in the morning while Kyle preferred the afternoon hours. The first time I approached Andrew I did not want to assume that he was related to Kyle. I asked Andrew why he consistently worked out when working out alone is never fun. "I used the early morning workout as my meditation" he replied. As I introduced myself, Andrew told me that his brother Kyle was one of my students. I then asked the question of whether they were twins as they look nearly identical (sans the beard).

According to the personality tests they took separately, they are very similar in some ways, but very different in how they identify themselves. Both of them are introverts with Andrew being slightly more outgoing than Kyle. Kyle works smart while Andrew works hard, both great traits. They agree with the test results that underneath the over six feet tall statures, both of them are sensitive and carry some emotions with them often. While Kyle loves casual fashion, Andrew is conscientious of how he looks (he described it as an ensemble approach). Both of them enjoy eating out and cooking at home. Kyle is slightly more anxious when compared with Andrew's relaxing attitude. Andrew aspires to settle in either Denver or Boston while Kyle intends to stay in the Northeastern region of the U.S. Kyle's ideal home is New York City. 

During our interview, Andrew wanted everyone to know that he is Andrew, not one of the twins. He insisted that he was an independent individual who knew what his identity was. However, he believed that he was evolving into a different and better person as his identity had well-established roots. Even though Kyle was not as certain who he identified with, he believed that he would continue his search for his true identity as he had support from Andrew and his family. I learned a great deal from both of them and how their individual identity mattered to them. They believed that their individual identities are crucial to their search for sustainable joy in their lives. Perhaps we can all learn from their examples to be true to our own identity in order to move forward in our own paths of self-enlightenment. Next time when you come across them, they are Andrew and Kyle, NOT simply the Godfrey twins.

Jason Chen, PhD