Isabela and Maya Carroll are, in their words, comically different. Growing up, Maya, with her blonde hair and blue eyes, didn’t just look different from her sister—she was drawn to completely different interests as well.
“She loves math; I’m terrible at it,” Isabela said. “I was all about the arts and reading; she avoided them.”
Despite their six-year age gap and distinct academic passions, the sisters found common ground attending Case Western Reserve University. In honor of National Siblings Day, celebrated April 10, The Daily spoke with Isabela, an English major with a film concentration, and Maya, an applied mathematics major, to explore how their unique paths at CWRU shaped their sibling connection.
Individual paths
When Isabela graduated from CWRU in 2023, her younger sister was just beginning to prepare for her own college experience—but she didn’t try to sway her to attend her alma mater.
“Being a younger sibling already comes with enough comparisons, so I wanted her decision to feel entirely her own,” Isabela explained. “I knew her college experience would be totally different from mine, so her decision to attend CWRU had to come from her own perspective.”
Maya, too, was determined to carve her own path. Yet as she explored CWRU, she realized it could be the right place for both of them in their own ways. With their mother, Liana Carroll, working as the director of undergraduate admission, the university had already been familiar—but now it became a space where they could each grow in their own direction.
“CWRU was able to give us very unique experiences but still give us both a place where we could be ourselves in our own ways,” Maya pointed out.
Shared experiences
Their journeys on campus, though separate, have provided the pair with a sense of camaraderie. One such instance came during Discover Week, when Maya, now a first-year student, found herself overwhelmed by the whirlwind of emotions that come with starting college.
Having an older sister who had been through the same orientation program made all the difference—someone who understood the nerves, excitement and adjustments without needing much explanation.
“Whenever she tells me a story,” Isabela said, “I don’t need the extra backstory—I already get the places, the people, the little quirks of CWRU. There’s something comforting about being six years apart but knowing that some things about CWRU never change.”
One of their strongest connections formed through Isabela’s involvement in IMPROVment, CWRU’s musical improv comedy troupe. Maya was there for Isabela’s very first show freshman year, her last one senior year, and plenty in between.
“It was special having someone in the audience who had watched me grow over the years,” Isabela said. “IMPROVment was the most valuable part of my college experience, so it meant a lot to share a small piece of that with her.”
Even with Isabela now living in New York and working as a production assistant, Maya remains one of the troupe’s most dedicated supporters—and her sister’s creativity and authenticity continue to leave a lasting impact. Growing up more focused on STEM, she hadn’t explored many artistic outlets. But after watching her sister thrive in creative spaces, she decided to step outside her comfort zone, enrolling in a beginner guitar class at the Cleveland Institute of Music this year.
Sisterly support
While Maya has been influenced by her sister’s creativity, Isabela admires Maya’s genuine curiosity for learning—and her determination. Because Isabela knows her sister’s strengths and weaknesses, she’s more helpful in telling her what not to do in her first year at CWRU.
“She knows that classes will push me and she knows my limits,” Maya admitted, “so she is always there for me whenever I’m getting stressed about midterms and I just need someone to talk to for an hour.”
Isabela said her sister tends to take on more than she can chew, so she’s good at reminding her there’s no rush to explore everything at once.
“If she ever wakes up with an unexpected interest in the arts, though, I’d tell her to take a class with Chris Bohan—he’s got Robin Williams in Dead Poets Society energy, which is exactly what you want in a college professor,” she said.
For both, college has been a personal journey—one shaped by their own passions, challenges and discoveries. But attending CWRU, even at different times, has given them a shared foundation. Their experiences may be different, but the bond they’ve built—one of support, encouragement, and a few inside jokes about campus life—will always connect them.
“The whole point of college is that it’s your own journey—everyone grows into themselves in their own way—but sharing the same school means we have this built-in, unspoken understanding of what makes up that journey,” Isabela said.