Twin Sisters Sally and Nora Shaheen Graduate Together, Eye Medical School

A Journey of Shared Ambitions: The Inspiring Story of Sally and Nora Shaheen

For fraternal twin sisters Sally and Nora Shaheen, graduating from the University of Arizona represents yet another milestone they will celebrate together. Both have pursued degrees in molecular and cellular biology at the College of Science and are set to graduate ahead of schedule. Their shared academic journey is a precursor to their next adventure: applying to medical school.

“We walk to the same classes together, we drive in the same car, and we hang out with the same friends every day,” said Nora. “Funny enough, even though we have different study routines, we somehow end up with the same grades.”

Their father, Montaser Shaheen, is an oncologist and researcher who has worked at the University of Arizona’s Cancer Center, while their mother, Manal Shaheen, with a background in pharmacy, contributed to the lab while raising the twins. This environment exposed Sally and Nora to medical research from a young age.

“Our dad would take us to his lab when we were really young, and we would watch him do experiments,” Sally shared. “When he got data, he would show us things like Western Blots, and it all just looked really cool to us. I think from there, we both realized we wanted to have a similar career path and see what we could discover ourselves.”

Choosing the University of Arizona allowed the sisters to stay close to family while benefiting from the large institution’s diverse offerings, including meeting students from various cultures and backgrounds.

“I really liked coming to a big university after going to a small high school,” Sally noted. “There’s so much diversity here, with international students and people from many backgrounds, and it’s been nice learning from each other’s experiences. The opportunities are honestly endless, too – there are so many clubs, research opportunities and classes to take.”

The twins decided to major in molecular and cellular biology, a field that would prepare them for medical school and align with their interest in research, particularly in cancer studies.

“As we took these core MCB classes, it was interesting to realize that the ideas in our textbooks were of things we had already seen in our dad’s lab,” Nora remarked.

As daughters of Syrian immigrants who moved to the U.S. before starting a family, Sally and Nora grew up speaking Arabic and have maintained a connection to their heritage despite not being able to visit Syria since 2011 due to regional conflict.

“People always assume that because we’re Arab, our parents forced us into a career field like doctor or engineer,” Sally said. “But we’re both actually passionate about becoming doctors and about the research side as well.”

The sisters recall an incident from middle school when their peers made fun of their traditional Syrian lunch, yabrak, a dish made of vine leaves stuffed with spiced rice and herbs.

“As the years have gone by, we’ve become more and more proud of our identity of being Arab,” Nora stated. “That’s part of the reason why we started a club.”

Alongside friends, the twins founded the Syrian American Club to celebrate Syrian culture and history. Their initial social event attracted about 70 attendees, including many Middle Eastern students and Syrians, but was open to all.

“We started with a social event, and we put posters out and made group chats on social media to get people involved,” Sally explained. “At our first event, we had about 70 people attend. We were really happy with the turnout.”

The club’s gatherings featured music, cuisine, and educational discussions, with a notable event including a Syrian professor who spoke about the country’s historical and cultural significance.

“We wanted to make sure everyone understood the historical context of Syria and other Middle Eastern countries, because there’s a lot of misinformation about Syria in the news,” Nora emphasized.

For Sally and Nora, their cultural heritage emphasizes family and quality time, values they hold dear alongside their academic commitments.

“School for us is the main priority,” Nora mentioned. “But we also just like spending time with our friends and family. That’s how we take a break.”

Despite their close bond, the sisters acknowledge their distinct personalities, with Sally being more outgoing and social, while Nora is more reserved. As they prepare for medical school, they face the possibility of attending different schools.

“If we ended up at different medical schools, it would take some time to adjust,” Nora said. “But you can’t keep us apart for too long.”