|
Three's a Charm for C.W. Post Sisters
Guests at the May 14 commencement exercises of the C.W. Post
Campus of Long Island University will be doing a double-take
when they see identical twin sisters Jennifer and Jillian Lyons
walk down the aisle. But they'll have to look a third time. Big
sister Darlene DeSena is graduating as well.
"We didn't plan on graduating together," says DeSena,
35. "I was supposed to graduate in 1999 and they were supposed
to graduate in 2001. I took an extra year and they accelerated
their programs. It was just fate."
DeSena will receive a B.S. in speech language pathology, with
a minor in business administration. Jillian Lyons will receive
a B.S. in education in a non-school setting, with a minor in
dance. Jennifer Lyons will receive a B.S. in criminal justice.
The sisters grew up in Hicksville, N.Y. When the twins were
11 years old they moved with their parents to Palm Springs, Fla.
DeSena, who was then 24 and married, stayed behind. She visited
her family as often as possible, making the trip for all the
special occasions in Jillian's and Jennifer's teenage years.
They came to C.W. Post in the fall of 1996, while DeSena was
attending Nassau Community College. One semester later, DeSena's
employer changed its tuition reimbursement policy, making it
possible for her to transfer to C.W. Post for the spring 1997
semester. The sisters have been together ever since.
"It has been so much fun attending C.W. Post together,"
says DeSena. "We're actually kind of upset about graduation.
Everything will be different. But we're going to spend Senior
Week together and we'll always stay in touch."
DeSena plans to pursue her master's degree at Queens College
in the fall. Jennifer will pursue her master's degree at C.W.
Post while coaching the field hockey team. Jillian will marry
her college sweetheart, Post alumn John Von Ruckteschell, in
September. They will live in Connecticut, where he works in program
development at the O'Neill Center at Western Connecticut State
University.
The sisters will probably have the biggest cheering section
at graduation. Guests will include their mother, Arlene Lyons;
DeSena's husband, Joey DeSena; their four brothers; another sister;
an aunt and a cousin.
Graduation ceremonies will kick off at 9:40 a.m. on Sunday,
May 14, 2000. C.W. Post is one of three residential campuses
of Long Island University, the eighth largest private university
in the United States. C.W. Post's 11,000 students can choose
from a broad range of undergraduate and graduate offerings, as
well as extensive continuing education programs. C.W. Post has
awarded more than 80,000 degrees in its 46-year history. The
campus is located on Northern Boulevard, (Route 25A) in Brookville.
|
