When Samantha Figueroa ‘19 learned her younger twin brothers, Dylan and Daniel, were going to join her at The College of Saint Rose, she had one question.
“‘Why are you guys following me? I get enough of you at home’,” she said, poking fun at her twin brothers, who will graduate in 2020. “But, we have always been super close. We have always done a bunch of activities back home. So, having them here was just another step in our lives we get to do together.”
For the past three years, the Figueroa siblings, who come from the Bronx, joined clubs together, studied together, discovered Albany together, and have leaned on each other. With Samantha graduating in May, Dylan and Daniel will have to adjust to life without her.
“It is going to be sad. It is going to be like something is missing. I can’t go to her house and drop off food or hang out with her in Albany,” Daniel said.
“But we have each other,” he added, motioning to Dylan.
Dylan is the self-proclaimed “outgoing twin,” who is majoring in psychology with plans to become a certified occupational therapist. Dylan’s first choice was Saint Rose, after learning about his older sister’s experience.
“She was telling us about the Pathways Program (a summer program for new students),” Dylan said. “She made such a great group of friends, and said ‘You guys should come. They have so much stuff at Saint Rose.’”
Daniel, on the other hand, was not entirely sold. He’s an introvert and didn’t feel like following his siblings. But he did anyway, and in hindsight, couldn’t imagine college without them.
“They helped guide me down the right path. I found the perfect major,” said Daniel, who is a communications major with a concentration in film and new media. “They are always helping me with schoolwork … and personal stuff. I can go to them for personal stuff.”
The three of them sit on the E-Board for Sabor Latino, a Latinx dance team, and sing in His Image, a gospel choir. Samantha said their parents were extremely supportive of their decision to go to the same college; they knew that meant they were safe and happy.
“We get to share different experiences with each other that not many siblings get to have,” Samantha said.
Samantha, who sees herself as the more practical sibling, completed her final semester at Saint Rose in May. A communications sciences and disorders major, she plans on getting her master’s in speech language pathology and attending graduate school in either Massachusetts, Florida, or New York.
Not surprisingly, she’s also been invited to attend the college’s admissions workshop, the next step in the application process for Saint Rose’s competitive CSD program. Maybe, she won’t be straying too far from her brothers after all.
“I would like to stay here,” she said. “It’s definitely one of my top choices.”
By Caroline Murray
SIDEBAR
We asked twins Daniel and Dylan questions about Samantha to see how much they know about their sister and her time at Saint Rose:
Where is Samantha’s favorite place on campus?
Dylan: I would think her room.
Samantha: It is. It’s my time to relax. I am always super busy. I am never really in my room, but when I am, it’s my favorite place.
Daniel: Yeah, she’s always working.
Samantha: I work at the Boys and Girls Club in Arbor Hill as a counselor for their afterschool programs.
Does Samantha participate in any internships?
Dylan: Does babysitting count?
Daniel: No. That’s not an internship.
Samantha: Those are jobs. What did I do last semester?
Daniel: You did something with the Boys and Girls Club.
Dylan: No. No. No. Oh my goodness.
Samantha: I had a placement.
Dylan: Yes! A placement.
Daniel: That’s what you call it?
Samantha: I was under an agency – I got to see different types of schools and clients.
What is Samantha’s goal after graduation?
Daniel: Get her masters and pursue speech pathology and help kids.
Dylan: And travel.
Daniel: And travel, too. That’s her favorite thing. She puts it in her budget every time.
Where has she traveled to?
Dylan: She’s been to Spain and Italy.
Samantha: No.
Dylan: Not Italy?
Samantha: Not yet.
Dylan: OK, Spain and Paris.
Daniel: And, Ireland.
Samantha: For Ireland, I went with my class. We got to see how they do their speech programs at different schools and travel. It was great.
