SNHU Spotlight: Sarai and Daniel Sylvester, Graduating Twins

Sarai and Daniel Sylvester ’23 have shared milestones before, but their interests are unique. Although pursuing different majors, with one studying online and the other on campus, the New England twins crossed another graduation stage together to celebrate their bachelor's degrees from Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

“To do this again and continue the legacy together is a very wonderful thing,” said Daniel, who lives in Maine. He earned an environmental science degree with a double major in biology, a decision he said would give him the option of working in a lab or outdoors.

The twins found their way to SNHU after their stepmother began working at the university, allowing them to take advantage of the tuition benefits available to SNHU staff and their families.

“So many people don’t even get the opportunity to go to college, and I (knew) that I could do it, so I wanted to push myself,” said Sarai, who earned a bachelor's in psychology with a concentration in forensic psychology while living in Manchester, New Hampshire.

She said her degree will open up her career options. “It’ll allow me to be able to work in a professional setting with people who are struggling with substance abuse or mental health illness,” Sarai said. She has a particular interest in the prison system and corrections and wants to make a change.

While their programs and career goals differ, they agreed that so much changed between the start of their college education and graduation day — a significant factor being their growth in confidence.

Daniel struggled with uncertainty. “I had a very rough, dark couple of years where I struggled, and upon transferring to this university, everything changed,” he said. “I created a support system.”

Now he’s a chemist tasked with making tuberculosis and HIV diagnostic tests, and he said he’s feeling much surer of himself.

Having a support system is something Daniel’s twin believes can make all the difference — and that’s a reason she’s pursuing a career path in the helping professions.

“It is so important to help people, and not everybody has a support system or anybody that's listening or cares,” Sarai said.

Rebecca LeBoeuf Blanchette '18 '22G is a writer at Southern New Hampshire University, where she fulfills her love of learning daily through conversations with professionals across a range of fields. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Communication with a minor in Professional Writing from SNHU’s campus in Manchester, New Hampshire, and followed her love of storytelling into the online Master of Arts in English and Creative Writing at SNHU. Connect with her on LinkedIn.