Graduation day was bittersweet for one family faced with the challenge of twin siblings graduating on the same day, but miles apart.
In an emotional TikTok video, a woman graduating revealed her parents’ solution as her brother also graduated 1,000 miles away: her dad came to her ceremony, while her mother went to her brother’s. The parents’ practical solution to be present for both milestones still led to a tearful, yet love-filled, virtual reunion on FaceTime.
Emma Sametz, 22, spoke to Newsweek about her and her twin brother’s big day, and what it meant to have their parents there in the only way they could be.
Sametz, who graduated from the University of Wisconsin—Madison, captured her mother overcome with emotion during a FaceTime call as she, in her cap and gown, prepared for her ceremony with her dad.
“That moment was really emotional for my mom,” Sametz said. “I had just put on my graduation cap and gown for the first time, and my dad and I were about to leave for my graduation ceremony. Meanwhile, my brother’s graduation was happening at the exact same time—1,000 miles away in Texas.”
The FaceTime call, intended to share Sametz’s big moment with her mother, became a deeply moving experience.
“Before we left, we FaceTimed my mom to show her how I looked, and as soon as she saw me, she started crying,” Sametz said. “It was one of those moments where the distance really hit us all, but at the same time, it was a moment filled with a lot of love and pride from both my mom and my dad.”
For Sametz, graduating separately from her twin was already a novelty considering their upbringing.
“It felt really surreal to graduate at the same time as my brother,” she said. “Growing up as twins, we shared every milestone side by side, so it was hard to not be able to witness firsthand the other’s biggest accomplishment this far.”
‘Emotionally, We Were All Together’
The occasion was particularly significant for Sametz and her mother due to a shared legacy.
In the video, Sametz was headed to her Honors program commencement. Her mother was in the same program, along with Phi Beta Kappa, at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.
“I think that moment for her, seeing me about to graduate from the same school and with the same honors she did, was a very surreal experience,” Sametz said.
Despite the physical separation, the family’s connection remained strong.
“This moment reflects just how strong our family bond is,” she said. “We may have had to split up logistically, but emotionally, we were all together. My dad was exploding with pride for me the whole weekend, and I felt so grateful that he was there with me and I know my mom was doing the same with my brother.”
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