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In a Flint Hall dorm, a pair of roommates bring the Two Peas in a Pod(cast) podcast to life. The hosts, Eliana and Gianna Bartone, have a unique connection that gives them a myriad of shared experiences to discuss: they are identical twin sisters.

“I feel like being a twin, we’re at an advantage in life because we always know there’s someone there for us,” Eliana said.

The Bartone sisters, originally from Long Island, are both studying television, radio and film at Syracuse University. They’re just one of SU’s many pairs of identical twins who find comfort in the presence of their doubles on campus.

Though they began the podcast last winter while in high school, the Bartones still have plenty to talk about as the ups and downs of twinhood have traveled with them to college. Coming to SU together made the transition to college life easier, and now, they’re even closer than they were in high school, Gianna said.

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

Bartone twins study together at the Newhouse School of Public Communications. Both are television, radio and film majors and participate in Z89 Radio.

While the sisters dealt with frequent mix-ups and comparisons at home, they say college has allowed them to step into their own strong personalities. Eliana said being a twin has helped the sisters socialize more easily and naturally bounce ideas off one another.

Once, another student that Thomas Wit didn’t recognize waved to him. He didn’t know if he should wave or not, but knew he had just been mistaken for his twin, Charlie Wit. Despite the occasional confusion, Thomas is glad he can share a college campus with Charlie.

Unlike the Bartones — who decided to come to Syracuse together — Charlie and Thomas didn’t influence each other’s decision to attend the university.

“We didn’t talk about it at all,” Charlie said. “We didn’t want it to be a deciding factor and it was more of our own individual choice.”

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

Wit twins lean on each other at SU, despite being in separate colleges — School of Information Studies and Whitman School of Management.

Though they were independent in their college choice and maintain some of their own independence, the Wits have become closer since starting at SU. Charlie and Thomas both have separate friend groups, which allows them to enter social circles they wouldn’t have otherwise.

He said having a twin at school brings more benefits than downsides, like having someone to go out or watch football with.

The Velarde sisters are another set of twins who learned to navigate the challenging transition from high school to college. Although they’re juniors now, Alexandra Velarde remembers the issues she and her sister Charlotte Velarde faced during their freshman year.

“It was really easy for us to find ourselves self-isolating because we knew we were always going to have each other,” Alexandra said. “We wouldn’t really branch out or do things by ourselves.”

When sorority recruitment began in the spring of that year, Alexandra found herself forced to explore this part of campus life apart from her sister, who had chosen to wait until the following year. Alexandra said she felt terrified.

Leonardo Eriman | Staff Photographer

Velarde twins study in David B. Falk College of Sports and Human Dynamics. The twins also work alongside each other for the SU football program.

Upon initiation into the Delta Gamma sorority, Alexandra realized the role Charlotte played in her ability to find a community on campus. Alexandra learned to be more social because of the comfort of having her sister.

Alexandra and Charlotte are both students in the David B. Falk School of Sport and Human Dynamics, studying health and exercise science and sport management respectively. The twins share built-in peer academic experiences, despite wanting to pursue different careers within the sports industry.

The two sisters hope to work alongside each other at a sports organization after graduating from SU. Regardless of where the future brings her, Alexandra is thankful for Charlotte’s presence in her college life.

“I don’t think I could have gone to college without her,” Alexandra said. “I think not going to college together probably would have been one of my biggest regrets.”

Published on November 21, 2024 at 1:05 am