{"id":57378,"date":"2019-06-14T12:21:06","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T16:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsroom.carleton.ca\/?post_type=cu_story&p=57378"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:19:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:19:19","slug":"seeing-double-twins-graduate","status":"publish","type":"cu_story","link":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/story\/seeing-double-twins-graduate\/","title":{"rendered":"Spring Convocation: Seeing Double"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n Spring Convocation: Seeing Double\n <\/h1>\n \n <\/header>\n <\/div>\n\n \n <\/path>\n <\/path>\n <\/svg>\n <\/div>\n\n \n\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n

A lot of people were doing double takes during Carleton University\u2019s June Convocation<\/a>. Several sets of twins crossed the stage to receive their diplomas at this year\u2019s ceremonies from June 10 through 14. We caught up with three of them. What\u2019s it like to go to university with your twin? Read on.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Seeing<\/figure>\n\n\n

Kennedy Aliu (Sociology and Minor in African Studies with Distinction) and Kenneth Aliu (African Studies and Law and Concentration in Transnational and Human Rights with Distinction)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even when their high school graduation was fast approaching, Kennedy and Kenneth Aliu weren\u2019t planning on attending the same university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe always get asked about that kind of thing, but we have very different interests,\u201d Kenneth says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cKennedy is focused on history and sociology, and my focus is on law. We planned to attend different universities, but we had to consider our parents \u2013 we are not their only children.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Aliu twins have two sisters \u2013 who are also twins \u2013 and they were already at university.  Kennedy and Kenneth didn\u2019t want to make it difficult for their Toronto-based parents to visit, so they chose to attend the same university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Seeing
Kennedy Aliu and Kenneth Aliu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Though Kennedy and Kenneth\u2019s academic interests diverged, the brothers both found a home at the Institute of African Studies<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was a na\u00efve second-year student,\u201d Kenneth says.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cA law major — and I wanted a second focus. I had tried out political science and human rights, but I wanted a richer education and a stronger intellectual base.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Kenneth enrolled in an English Literature class taught by Pius Adesanmi, who ran the institute before he died tragically in a March 2019 air crash. Adesanmi instilled in Kenneth the idea that to understand the world, you must understand Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSince then, the Institute of African Studies became my home. It\u2019s a very tight-knit community. It was very impactful and solidified my stay at Carleton.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Aliu brothers prepared to convocate, both were working on applications to law school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They regularly engage in debate about how to effectively reconcile the strengths of western legal systems with the strengths of Africa\u2019s own forms of governance to forge a fruitful path forward for the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But once they hit law school, they won\u2019t be seeing each other in the classroom any more.  They don\u2019t have the same interests, and won\u2019t be attending the same school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m more into the historical aspect of law,\u201d says Kennedy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cI like to write, but Kenneth, he\u2019s more argumentative \u2013 he\u2019s ready. He likes to debate.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Besides, Kennedy says, \u201c24 years together is enough!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Seeing<\/figure>\n\n\n

Lama Yassin Kassab (Biomedical and Electrical with Co-op with Distinction) and Leen Yassin Kassab (Biomedical and Electrical with Co-op with High Distinction)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Lama and Leen Yassin Kassab immigrated to Canada as high school students, they already had Carleton on their minds.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s why we chose to move to Ottawa. We knew people who had studied here, and had seen pictures of campus during the summer time \u2013 shaped like a heart — and we loved it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

But during their first year at university, the sisters didn\u2019t have much of a social life.  They didn\u2019t know many other students and were laser-focused on their studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Seeing
Lama Yassin Kassab and Leen Yassin Kassab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe used to just come to class, go home, come to class, go home. We were just the two of us the entire time, studying. It was hard to meet anyone. It was boring and it was stressful. Then, in second year, we got into an association called Salaam, and it made our life a lot nicer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arabic for \u201cpeace\u201d, Salam shared the strengths of Arab cultural traditions on campus. Salam held an Arabian Nights gala, and donated proceeds to local charities like the CHEO Foundation.  A week-long Arabian Village event held on campus celebrated cultural heritage through food, dance and music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The twins credit Salaam with beginning friendships they hope will last a lifetime \u2013 and with helping them learn to manage a jam-packed schedule. Combined with their co-op placements<\/a>, it has made them feel better prepared to work in their field.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cThe co-op program at Carleton gave us a very good idea of what professional work looks like, and how to interact with professional people,\u201d says Leen.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cYou get exposed to people that have been working in the field for a very long time, and you learn what you like and what you don’t like. For example, I got chronic back pain for sitting down for 16 months at my co-op (placement) . . . and now I know that I don’t want a desk job.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Seeing<\/figure>\n\n\n

Jalil Aalab (Biomedical and Electrical Engineering) and Jamil Aalab (Biomedical and Mechanical Engineering)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As children, Jalil and Jamil Aalab once lived in an apartment that had a view of the Carleton campus, and they studied in the university\u2019s math and computer science enrichment programs while they were in middle school and high school. So when the time came to pick a university, Carleton seemed like the natural choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Aalab brothers enrolled in engineering and, during their first year, they took most of their courses together. But then their paths began to diverge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jamil chose to study biomedical mechanical engineering<\/a>, while Jalil chose biomedical electrical engineering<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Seeing
Jalil Aalab and Jamil Aalab<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the biomedical mechanical aspect, we study new tools that can be made to enhance people’s lives,\u201d says Jamil.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cLike artificial organs and artificial limbs\u2014how different joints move and everything works together to create the human body.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

On the electrical side, Jalil is focused more on the electrical and computer systems in devices like MRIs or CT scans. He\u2019s hopeful that their complementary areas of study will one day bring their work together as professionals. But for now, the twins are focused on graduating, and on celebrating with their family on Canada Day.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\u201cGraduation is a very important part in someone’s life,\u201d Jalil says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

\u201cThere’s a lot of celebration involved in it. So if an individual were to graduate, there’s a lot of happiness and felicity, but when you see your family member graduating at the same time, there’s a double bonus. You almost have twice as much reason to be happy. Family is the most important thing, and we’ve done everything together since the beginning. The fact that he’s graduating\u2026it feels like I’m graduating as well.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Seeing<\/figure>\n\n\n

—
\nMore Convocation Stories<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lot of people were doing double takes during Carleton University\u2019s June Convocation. Several sets of twins crossed the stage to receive their diplomas at this year\u2019s ceremonies from June 10 through 14. We caught up with three of them. What\u2019s it like to go to university with your twin? Read on. Kennedy Aliu (Sociology […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":410,"featured_media":57408,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"cu_story_type":[25],"cu_story_tag":[],"class_list":["post-57378","cu_story","type-cu_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","cu_story_type-student-experience"],"acf":{"cu_post_thumbnail":"blueprint"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cu_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/410"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":97928,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story\/57378\/revisions\/97928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cu_story_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_type?post=57378"},{"taxonomy":"cu_story_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/carleton.ca\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cu_story_tag?post=57378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}