In-synch twins to earn law, medical school degrees hours apart

Chris Casey, (Bio) ccasey@greeleytrib.com
May 9, 2008

Comments Print Email

The Anderson twins, Emily and Hilary, have never shied from challenge. Both standout students and athletes, they graduated from Eaton High School in 2000 as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.

The challenge they face on Saturday is logistical: How to get family members to both of their graduate-school commencements. Emily will receive her medical school degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Neb., while Hilary gets her law degree down the road at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

"We both graduate the same day, but I think it's like two hours apart (the ceremonies)," Hilary said. "So our family is having to split up."

The 26-year-olds, who admit to engaging in occasional twin competition, reached an agreeable compromise: The Anderson family will go to Emily's hooding ceremony on Thursday in Omaha, then travel 50 miles southwest on Interstate 80 to Lincoln for Hilary's commencement on Saturday.

Meanwhile, back in Omaha, the family of Emily's fiancé will be on hand to watch her receive her diploma.

Then on May 24, Emily will get married in front of both families. "Everything happens at once," she said with a laugh.

Emily and Hilary both went to Colorado State University for their undergraduate degrees -- Emily's in biology and Hilary's in business-marketing. They diverged paths for a year, as Emily started medical school in Omaha and Hilary worked at a Boulder advertising agency.

"I don't know that we ever sought out being in the same place (for graduate school), but it worked out real well," Emily said. "It's nice to have that family support nearby."

Hilary, who discovered advertising wasn't for her, began looking at law schools and zeroed in on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. "It was one of the places I liked best, and it definitely helped that (Emily) was out there," she said.

When their studies grew intense, as they do in medical and law school, "We kind of fed off each other to keep us going," Hilary said.

A bevy of family, friends and mountains kept Colorado from suffering a twin (Anderson) brain drain to Nebraska.

"I had thought I wanted to try out a big city like Chicago or New York, but once I got out (to Nebraska) I kind of had my eyes set on coming back to Colorado," Hilary said.

The twin -- ahem -- combination of family and mountains was all the persuasion Emily needed, as well. In June, she starts a three-year residency in family practice at North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley.

As if the Anderson family isn't busy enough, parents Alice and Don are waiting for their house to sell in Twin Falls, Idaho, before they also move back to Colorado. Emily and Hilary have an older sister, Sarah Baumgartner, who works for Pfizer in Great Falls, Mont., and a younger sister, Hannah Anderson, who works for Kroll Factual Data in Loveland.

Both women say their parents instilled a strong work ethic.

"We push each other," said Emily, who knew from a young age she wanted to be a doctor. "Our parents are very hard-working and supported us to do whatever we wanted to do and encouraged us to go on in school. We've got some good, healthy twin competition going on, too."

Hilary begins work this summer at the Denver law firm of Burns, Figa and Will. She will start studying for the bar exam later this month.

Hilary said her other sisters have always been supportive, as well. But during these last grueling years of school in eastern Nebraska, "it definitely helped having Emily going through the same kind of stuff."

And on Saturday on the Great Plains, the twins will simultaneously enjoy a few hours of partying, too.