Wagner College's new freshman class includes seven sets of twins.
Now, having 14 students who happen to be twins out of a first-year class of 450 students would be about average — but all those twins choosing to come, together, to the same school? That's unusual.
“The reason my twin Lexee and I came to Wagner is because we wanted the small liberal arts college feel while being close to New York City,” explains Laynee Viniotis of suburban Seattle, Washington. “I loved the small, close-knit feel on campus and on Staten Island, and Wagner offered great academic programs for both of our majors and had plenty of art programs and athletics that we could participate in.”
Plus, says Lexee Viniotis, “My sister Laynee and I are best friends and thought it would be weird to be apart from each other for long periods of time.”
Emily Bovasso tells a different story. “My brother and I never planned on coming to school together,” notes the Cranford, New Jersey, student.
But it happened anyway, because Wagner fit the bill for each one. “This was actually the only school that we were both interested in,” Emily says. “It just so happened that he really liked the business program, and I liked the science department — and we both loved the location and the size of the school.”
Emily and Robert Bovasso are actually two members of a set of triplets. Their brother Anthony “decided to stay home and attend community college for a couple of years.”
The five other sets of twins in the class include Phillip and Matthew Adamo of Morristown, New Jersey; Peter and Joseph Romano of Bushkill, Pennsylvania; Patrick and William McMenamin of Longport, New Jersey; Griffen and Reed LeClaire of Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; and Nicole and Alexandra Dattoli of Staten Island.