This year marks the final year of high school for seniors, Jonathan and Aidan Rodriguez, twin brothers who have grown up to be a dynamic duo. In just under a week, the twins will be walking the stage at graduation and saying goodbye to the days of walking the halls of Sahuaro as they enter a new phase of adulthood. They reflected on their lives together up until this point, explaining how they became the hilarious and lively pair we know and love today.

The two brothers were born on July 17th, 2003 nine minutes apart, Jon being the firstborn and Aidan emerging as a complete surprise to their mother. “When she saw the ultrasound, the nurse scared her because she told her she saw another arm,” said Jonathan. “My mom started to freak out, but the nurse told her not to worry, she was just having twins… That was a fun call for my grandparents.” When asked about how often he uses the age difference against his brother, Jon responded, “I use that all of the time, but everyone uses it against me too. I have to wait nine minutes to get anything on our birthday.”

Though many of their peers would get the two mixed up as children, their parents had them figured out almost instantly. “Our mom and dad knew from day one,” said Aidan. Jon continued, “They’re really good at knowing who is who. Obviously, if we were to dress up as each other and rush past them, they might get confused, but the minute they hear our voices, they know.”

While the two share similar looks, their passions and plans for the future couldn’t be more different. Jon, a varsity football player and track runner at Sahuaro, enjoys working out in his free time and creating artwork. “I love working out, it’s just what I do. After football and track, I got into the idea of bodybuilding.” Jon plans to go into the field of sports medicine, an interest that grew from his time recovering from an injury early in high school. “My freshman year, I got a serious concussion. That’s when Becky helped me out, and I got to see what she did. I’d see her help out kids going through physical therapy and get taped up, and I thought her job just seemed really interesting.” He continued, laughing, “On top of that, I saw a Jackie Robinson movie where one of the guys was stitching up his calf and I thought ‘yeah, I want to do that!'”

Aidan, a runner for Sahuaro’s cross country team, enjoys playing guitar, listening to music, and participating in JTED’s Aviation Technology program after school. He stated, “Most of my free time is spent playing my guitar. I’ve been playing it for about five years now.” He discovered his passion for airplane mechanics through attending work with his mom during his early childhood. “My mom was working at Southwest Airlines and would sometimes take us to her workplace. She works in the bins as a baggage handler downstairs, and through going to work with her, I just really began to love planes. I never saw myself working in an office, so I knew from that moment on that I wanted to do something in that field.” Aiden joined a club his sophomore year where they worked on building a Cessna from the ground up. He found out about JTED through his instructor of the club, which has furthered his passion for pursuing a career in A&P mechanics.

Now is probably a good time to mention a part of their life that they love sharing with one another: their dog, Ninja. “I love him so much,” said Jon. “We got him back in fourth grade. He was born on Cinco de Mayo, so you know he’s awesome. He always figures out how to jump things and climb them. Originally, we were going to name him Marley, after Bob Marley, but then we realized this dog was a little frickin’ ninja.” Aidan continued, “He just observes and looks at you. He doesn’t really even bark, he’ll just stare.”

The two brothers carry a special bond that anyone close to them can see; they can be firing comebacks like no tomorrow to each other’s roasts one moment and be building on each other’s…sometimes bizarre…ideas in the next (shout out to Michael Cross who adds to the weirdness of some of those conversations). When asked about the best part of being a twin, the Rodriguez brothers shared the same answer: you always have a best friend by your side. “It’s always funny to think about, because he has always been by my side and I’ve always been by his,” Jon said. No matter the trials that life puts these two through, their bond and resilience can get them through anything. Congrats guys, and see you at graduation!