Bellingham twins find their calling – in chemistry – at WWU

Twins Anne, left, and Andrea d'Aquino at the Western Washington University chemistry building Thursday, June 12, 2014. Both are graduating from WWU and heading to Northwestern University where Anne will work on a doctorate in biochemistry and Andrea will work on a doctorate in chemistry.

PHILIP A. DWYER

BELLINGHAM - When Anne d'Aquino stepped into her first college chemistry class as a sophomore at Western Washington University, she didn't know she'd be changing her life and that of her twin sister.

"Neither of us thought we would even end up taking a science class," said Anne, whose sister, Andrea, took the class after she did.

But the sisters ended up falling in love with chemistry: the discovery, the problem-solving and the way it could change lives.

They will be speaking at WWU's commencement at 4 p.m. Saturday, June 14, and after getting their bachelor's degrees, they'll be heading to Northwestern University. Anne will pursue a Ph.D. in biochemistry, hoping to study drug design and interactions, and Andrea will go for a Ph.D. in chemistry, with a focus on clean and renewable energy.

The sisters, 23, had come to WWU with other intentions after graduating from Squalicum High School. Andrea planned on studying math, while Anne was interested in medicine. But in chemistry, they found pieces of what they loved about both fields.

For Anne, who plans on researching a protein involved in drug resistance, chemistry was a new way to further the medical field.

Andrea had always loved the problem-solving aspect of mathematics, and now she could do it hands on. In the lab, she works on designing and synthesizing catalysts to remove impurities from crude oil.

"When I took chemistry, I realized this was a very different kind of problem-solving," Andrea said.

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Bellingham twins find their calling - in chemistry - at WWU