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<\/a>\u201cSomething very profound takes place for both the family and the EMU community when siblings share a common college narrative,\u201d says Luke Hartman<\/a>, vice president for enrollment. \u201cExperiencing Mennonite education can strengthen the family while at the same time benefiting the college with the sharing of their individual strengths and uniqueness.\u201d<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, the largest cluster of siblings (14 sets) come from Harrisonburg and vicinity, but some siblings have traveled hundreds of miles in Virginia to attend EMU, including a pair each from Bristol on the Tennessee border and from Chesapeake on the Atlantic.<\/p>\n Other home states of siblings: Pennsylvania (12 families in nine municipalities); Ohio (eight families, all in different locations), two sets of siblings from Maryland, and one set each from Goshen, Indiana; Wellman, Iowa; Rochester, New York; Plymouth, Minnesota; Puyallup, Washington; and Charles Town, West Virginia.<\/p>\n The 46 surnames of siblings culled from EMU\u2019s database in October 2014 are: Alderfer, Baltimore, Barrett, Beachy, Bills, Bishop, Blosser (two different families), Clemens, Cox, Driediger, Dutcher, Ferrell, Gallardo, Gish, Gonzalez, Graber, Hartzler, Jones, Kauffman, King, Kiser, Kratz, Longenecker, Luther, Mack-Boll, Mansoor, Martin, Mast, Miller, Mumaw, Myers, Nafziger, Nussbaum, Okereke, Patterson, Poplett, Raber, Salladay, Shenk-Moreno, Sprunger, Treichel, Trotter, Weaver, Wengerd, Ygarza, and Yoder.<\/p>\n Interviews with three sets of EMU siblings yielded this common thread: They tend to maintain separate identities and friend groups, while supporting and inspiring one another \u2013 be they healthcare providers like the Ardrons, budding psychologists like the Treichels, or activist musicians like the Popletts.<\/p>\n \u201cEven though the siblings may have very different experiences here, they will have the same alma mater, a bond which will benefit both themselves and our entire community over the long term,\u201d observes Hartman.<\/p>\n Last year, the three Ardron brothers \u2013 Austin, Adrian, and then first-year student Aaron \u2013 all commuted to campus from their home in Fishersville, 30 miles south of Harrisonburg. The attraction of EMU was its strong reputation in nursing<\/a> and pre-med preparation<\/a>.<\/p>\n With both a mother and a father who are nurses, the Ardron brothers come from a family of healers. Among their immediate and extended family are more nurses, pharmaceutical representatives, physical therapists, an ophthalmologist, and a pediatric allergist.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s just what we’re drawn to \u2026 we’re good at medicine, at making people feel better,\u201d says Austin, who wrapped up his EMU coursework this summer, passed his nursing boards, and started as a registered nurse at the University of Virginia (UVa) hospital \u2013 all within 30 days.<\/p>\n As the first to enroll, Austin came to EMU because of the \u201cholistic approach\u201d to nursing, which emphasizes emotional as well as physical healing. Now working on the medical-surgical floor, Austin applies this mindset to patient advocacy, what he terms \u201cexplaining in human terms what the doctor just said.\u201d He also values his ability to be a comforting presence and \u201cthat extra safety net for the patient\u201d before procedures.<\/p>\n Austin\u2019s older brother, Adrian, started at the College of William and Mary and circulated among a couple of university settings and majors before following Austin into the nursing program. Also a 2014 graduate, he now works as a registered nurse in UVa\u2019s urology, surgery and burns unit.<\/p>\n Aaron based his college decision partly on his brothers’ positive experience. The pre-med major was also impressed by EMU graduates’ nearly 90 percent acceptance rate into medical school.<\/p>\n Commuting from home has allowed the Ardron brothers to gain work experience, and to maintain close ties to their family and their Seventh Day Adventist church.<\/p>\n Austin paid his way through school by working as a nurse’s aide at UVa. For all four years of college, he attended school Monday through Friday, and worked 20 hours over the weekend.<\/p>\n Aaron’s extracurricular activities take the form of church leadership: he is a head deacon at his family’s church. The Seventh Day Adventists’ calling is \u201cto help heal, help promote growth,\u201d he says. That environment shaped his interest in helping people through medicine. After many years of schooling, he hopes to carry on the family\u2019s healing tradition as a healthcare professional in an intensive care or trauma setting, perhaps as a cardiac or ocular surgeon.<\/p>\n Shawn and Kevin Treichel’s childhood instilled in them a fascination with the human mind and an appreciation of brotherhood. From Kevin’s perspective, many people coming to college see their siblings as an annoyance, and their family as a constrictive atmosphere to leave behind. But the Philadelphia-raised brothers grew up without an intact family to chafe gently against \u2013 they were in and out of foster care.<\/p>\n Some students enter college lacking independence and resilience. Not these brothers, says Shawn: \u201cWe’ve been to youth delinquent centers for a year at a time \u2026We can do college!\u201d (In the Philadephia area, the centers often double as temporary homeless youth shelters.)<\/p>\n Shawn was the first to learn about EMU. His family began attending a Mennonite church after an event flyer was posted on their door. Through that youth group, he became acquainted with Lani Prun\u00e9s ’14. Her descriptions of EMU helped sway him from the original conviction that he would not pursue post-secondary education. He is now a third-year psychology<\/a> major whose studies may lead to graduate program for counseling<\/a>; however, he’s waiting to see what opportunities life brings: \u201cI’ve never really had a straight and narrow path,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n Kevin is also at EMU because of those church connections. He came in knowing he wanted to go into nursing, and liked EMU’s reputation in that field. Specifically, he says, \u201cI want to work in a psychology setting with children.\u201d He plans to attend graduate school for a masters in applied behavioral analysis.<\/p>\n \u201cThe end goal is to have the knowledge and the context in order to take a much more holistic approach towards psychology than I ever witnessed myself,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n Coming to EMU, the Treichels had to adapt to both small-city living and local culture. If they drive five minutes in their home setting, they’ve made two blocks; if they drive five minutes here, they’re in a cornfield. Neither of the brothers see themselves returning to Philadelphia. \u201cBeen there, done that,\u201d says Kevin.<\/p>\n Wherever their careers take them, the Treichels express appreciation for having attended EMU simultaneously and maintaining their mutually supportive relationship.<\/p>\n \u201cIt would probably be weirder not being on campus with my brother,\u201d says Kevin. \u201cDue to our specific circumstances, we learned pretty early the value of relying on family.\u201d<\/p>\n Yet, he adds, EMU might still be the right choice for siblings who don\u2019t feel as close as he and Shawn. \u201cThe [campus] world’s not as small as you might think it is.\u201d<\/p>\n Alicia and Katrina Poplett, of Plymouth, Minnesota, grew up immersed in music, listening to their mother playing piano. Competition between the two young violinists became \u201ca quite contentious part of our lives!\u201d says Katrina, who switched to the viola in eighth grade. Thereafter they played together in school and in Mennonite church groups with less angst.<\/p>\n In the high school pit orchestra, the year before Alicia left for EMU, \u201cwe started becoming friends,\u201d says Katrina.<\/p>\n Alicia is now a junior majoring in elementary education<\/a> and Spanish<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe Ardrons<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>The Treichels<\/strong><\/h3>\n
<\/a>The Popletts<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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