Twin grads find their own voices at Tulane

For graduating seniors— and identical twins— Blane and Tyler Margaretten, the highlight of their college careers is not the final destination, but the journey.

Blane and Tyler hail from Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and will graduate this week from the A. B. Freeman School of Business. Blane, will receive degrees in management and marketing while Tyler will receive degrees in finance and management.

Both credit their extensive involvement with the Tulane University community in shaping their personal development.

“I came here as a 17-year-old kid, and I’m leaving here as someone with confidence and a defined work ethic,” said Tyler. “I like those attributes, and I think Tulane helped develop them.”

Tyler served as vice president of finance in Tulane’s Undergraduate Student Government, executive board member of the Crawfest committee, an intern in the Office of Undergraduate Admission and a resident adviser. Blane served as an executive board member for Outreach Tulane, an orientation team leader, and as a research assistant in the business school. Both were Green Wave Ambassadors and members of the Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.

As twins, the Margarettens also faced a unique set of challenges.

“A big challenge was trying to find my own identity that was separate from that of my twin,” said Blane. “Sometimes one of us would have a professor first, so the professor would already have a preconceived notion of us. Luckily, we put forth good appearances in class.”

After graduation, Tyler is moving to Dallas where he will work in healthcare finance, while Blane plans to spend time travelling.

— Samah Ahmed

Originally published in New Wave.