On May 8th, 1997, senior Michael Byrne was born eighteen minutes before his twin sister, Elizabeth Byrne. They grew up in Niles, Illinois and attended Clarence E. Culver School from K-8th grade. They both prospered in different activities – sports for Michael and cheer for Elizabeth.

Best friends, partners in crime, siblings, and twins, Michael and Elizabeth are the siblings in class that always know how to make the best of everything. If it’s playing football, rollerblading with friends, or enjoying their mutual love for the Green Bay Packers, you’ll find these two inseparable.

Their close relationship isn’t only brought together by their love for sports and Wisconsin — they love being there for one another.

“I love the fact that there is always someone there for me. We talk with each other all the time about everything and anything. It’s nice because we know we both have each other’s backs no matter what. It’s also great being able to work on assignments from the same classes we have,” Elizabeth said.

A good friend of the twins, senior Julia Easter talked about how great it was meeting them during her time at Niles West.

“I met Michael during ninth period study hall, and Elizabeth while midnight riding. It’s great being friends with them because we all love sports even if we share a friendly rivalry (Bears vs. Packers). They’re the kind of kids that make me want to be as kind-hearted to others as they are. Overall they’re just nice, funny, and great friends to be around.”

Their compassion for one another and their friends doesn’t end there. The Byrne twins are a family of five in all.

“We’re both just as close with our other siblings as we are with each other,” Michael said. “We all like spending time with each other.”

With college coming up next fall for these two, the twin duo have hopes and dreams for the future.

“We would like to go to the same college, but we both have no idea where we for sure want to go yet, hopefully somewhere in Wisconsin,” Michael said.

While they might not have decided on the exact university they’re attending they still have big aspirations.

“Michael wants to major in forestry or some type of environmental science, and I want to be a teacher,” Elizabeth said.

Wherever their lives might take them, they’ll always be there for each other and will be forever changed because of each other. The Byrne twins are an inspiration and an example of what family first really means.