Double duty: Twins take on nursing and track and field
Get to know twins Ava and Mia Maglaya. Hailing from the southwest suburb of Romeoville, they are both juniors in the UIC Nursing BSN program and track & field athletes for the UIC Flames.
Maglaya video
Get to know Ava and Mia
UIC Nursing: Why did you pick UIC?
Ava: The location was a big selling point. We have always grown up close to the city but never got the opportunity to really take advantage of it. Additionally, our mother [Elaine Maglaya] has been a big inspiration in our lives, and she is a UIC alum and now working at UI Health as an RN.
Mia: UIC was always on our radar after seeing her success, not only academically, but also, she was on the dance team at UIC and then went on to dance professionally for the Chicago Bulls as a Luvabull.
UIC Nursing: Was it important that you find a school where you could both compete?
Mia: While we were being recruited to run track and field, one of our priorities was that the school had to have good health, medical and nursing programs.
Ava: Mia decided to take a chance and directly reach out to UIC, and thankfully [UIC Track & Field] Coach Paul [Zavala] invited both of us on an official visit.
Mia: Meeting many different coaches and seeing so many different campuses, there was no other school that offered all of the opportunities that UIC did. Coach Paul and [assistant coach] Challen Jackson promoted the narrative that being a student was the priority and that they would support our academic pursuits while also supporting us as athletes.
Ava: The rest is history. It all just happened to all work out.
UIC Nursing: Were you surprised when your sister decided on the same career?
Ava: It wasn’t very surprising. We have historically always gone down the same general path, but we have always been able to put our own personal spin on whatever we do to make it our own.
Mia: As a freshman, I was a biology major on a pre-med track, which I then changed to pre-dentistry and finally to nursing at the end of my freshman year. After I solidified my passion to pursue this career, we supported each other through all the ups and downs that arose during the application process and classes in general.
UIC Nursing: What appeals to you most about working as a nurse?
Mia: What appeals to me the most is the bond and trust that grows between nurses and their patients. I can make a positive impact by seeing my patients as a whole, learning about their backgrounds and then delivering care and interventions.
Ava: Being able to have a direct effect on someone’s life or even just their day is something I always strive to do, and nursing gives me that opportunity and so much more. Also, I’ve always flourished in fast-paced environments and working under pressure.
Get to know Ava and Mia
UIC Nursing: How did you both come to specialize in the long and triple jump?
Ava: It’s kind of a weird story. We both did gymnastics for the first 11 years of our lives, and in middle school, we decided to try track for fun. We continued gymnastics into high school, which is also when we started triple jumping. COVID happened, and we quit gymnastics and shifted into all-star cheer and powerlifting, on top of track.
Mia: From the start, we were drawn to the jumps, and by junior year of high school we were making huge strides, reaching the Illinois state finals and earning our first collegiate offer. That moment shifted how we saw the sport and made us realize we could continue our athletic journey at the next level.
UIC Nursing: As nursing students and track athletes at the same school, how much of your time do you spend together?
Mia: We spend a huge amount of time together, sometimes upwards of 12 hours a day, especially with having almost identical class schedules. We go from 7 a.m. practice, to our first morning class, to our lifting session, and then back to the College of Nursing for afternoon classes together again.
Ava: Mia and I live right across the hall from each other with other roommates. Some of our interests and hobbies overlap, and we enjoy spending time together, but we are quite independent and spend our free time doing things apart.
UIC Nursing: What’s your favorite and least favorite thing about being a twin?
Ava: My answer for both is the same, funny enough. Always having my sister there for every big moment in my life is a blessing. I always have someone I can talk to about what’s going on and we support each other through it all. But sometimes being together so much can be a struggle for both of us when we are trying to be our own individual selves apart from being twins.
Mia: My favorite thing about having a twin is having someone who deeply understands me as a person and is going through the same challenges I am facing. My least favorite thing is feeling less of my own individual person at times. And wearing matching clothes!
UIC Nursing: Are you identical twins? Do you think you look alike?
Mia: Surprisingly we are not 100% sure if we are identical twins or fraternal twins that happen to look very similar. At birth my mom opted to not get the twin zygosity DNA test as she was simply happy to have two healthy twin girls, identical or not.
Ava: Personally, I don’t think we look alike, and neither do most of our family or close friends, but there are definitely similarities.
UIC Nursing: How would you describe your relationship with your sister?
Mia: My sister and I are extremely close and have such a unique bond. We can’t read each other’s minds! (People ask us that all the time.) But growing up in the same room, in bunk beds, playing the same sports, having the same friends and the same interests has led us to often know what the other is thinking.
Ava: It’s complex and unlike any other relationship I have in my life. Growing up with a sibling is one thing, but to have a twin is to have someone that has seen every part of your day, your growth and your life.
UIC Nursing: What’s your favorite thing about nursing school so far?
Ava: I really enjoy the hands-on learning, especially clinicals. I love being on my feet and learning in person more than from a screen or a lecture.
Mia: It’s refreshing to be learning concepts that I am genuinely interested in and passionate about. Prerequisite classes felt more like stepping stones to get to where I am now. Our current classes feel more like tangible tools that I will use to build my foundation as a nurse.
UIC Nursing: Where do you hope your nursing journey ultimately takes you?
Mia: Ultimately, I hope my nursing journey takes me into my goal career as either a nurse practitioner or CRNA (hopefully the new UIC nurse anesthetist program!). My goal is to spend my life doing something I truly love and having a positive impact.
Ava: I hope my nursing journey ultimately takes me into a specialty that I truly enjoy. Nursing has so many opportunities, which is why I chose it as a career, and I know that I can always change parts of my career as I grow and change as a person.