By Jensen Boyd
The letters M and W are practically identical in their zig-zag shape. The only difference: they are a flipped version of each other, making them exact opposites.
Miles and Walker Johnson are siblings, so naturally, they share some physical similarities. But just like the letters of their first names, their personalities and interests are worlds apart, making them polar opposites.
“Miles is introverted and introspective. He’s always thinking about something, things you would never even imagine he would be mulling around,” said the boys’ mom, Mia Johnson. “Walker is extroverted and very social. He thrives on being around friends.”
Their differences should come as no surprise.
Why? Because the boys’ parents, Wayne and Mia Johnson, also experience the same type of W and M divergence.
“Wayne and I are pretty much opposites so it comes natural. Miles is like me and Walk[er] is like Wayne.,” said Mia, noting that it’s interesting that the letters chosen for their names worked out. “Miles and I can stay in the house for days and not say much to anyone, while Wayne and Walk[er] like to be on the go.”
Wayne, a former center on the Ball State men’s basketball team from 1995-1999, is now the Vice Chancellor of Enrollment & Success at Ivy Tech Community College. Mia, who graduated from Ivy Tech Community College in 2003, also works as a Chancellor at Ivy Tech Anderson.
Like Wayne, Walker lives a busy life– always occupied, hard at work. A two-sport varsity athlete in his freshman year of high school, Walker spends his time on the hardwood in the winter and under the Friday night lights in the fall.
This year, Walker started as an offensive tackle for the varsity football team. He was also the starting center on the basketball team and helped lead the Eagles to the regional championship.
Mia believes a large part of Walker’s success on the court is his ability to stay “level-headed” under pressure.
But Walker isn’t just recognized for his status in sports. Mia says Walker’s character is one of his most prominent attributes.
“Some of Walk[er]’s strengths are his heart– he cares A LOT about others and their feelings,” Mia said.
Like Walker, Miles also shares these same attributes. Only instead, he prefers to spend his time in an alternative way.
Thriving in solo activities, he enjoys building Legos, reading and playing competitive video games– Marvel Rivals being his favorite.
Earlier this semester, Miles won the eSports club’s Super Smash Bros Tournament and also received a Dr. Martin Luther King Day student award at the Muncie Area Career Center (MACC).
Also at the MACC, Miles is involved in a digital design class. He works with Adobe Indesign, Photoshop, and other design tools in the class.
Mia credits Miles’ intelligence and diligence for his academic and extracurricular success.
Despite their differences, from early childhood through elementary school, Walker and Miles had similar hobbies and interests– the main one being video games.
“We were more alike because, for a while, I wasn’t really interested in sports,” Walker said. “It was like fifth grade when I really started to like sports. I think I just started to watch the NBA a lot more, so I just started to like basketball a lot more in general.”
And still, the boys’ futures look bright, yet still completely different. After graduating from high school, Walker plans to continue his athletic career at the collegiate level.
Meanwhile, Miles wants to pursue a career where he can optimize his creativity. He isn’t sure what college he wants to attend or what field he wants to take a deep dive in, but he says he could definitely see himself working with a computer.
***
Although Miles and Walker are one year apart, sisters Anna and Ella Marcum were born on the same day. But even being side-by-side as newborn babies couldn’t stop the girls from splitting off into different directions.
Ironically, Anna and Ella are non-identical twins— and it is true; their personalities, interests and hobbies are not identical whatsoever.
Anna is an extrovert; she is social and not scared to spark up a conversation. On the flip side, Ella is an introvert. She typically acts more reserved and likes to keep to herself.
“I am more quiet in bigger groups and at school, and Anna is very outgoing and bubbly,” Ella said.
Anna’s cordial personality also carries over into her hobbies. She loves hanging out with her friends whenever the opportunity arises. She also enjoys being outside and traveling.
Instead, Ella prefers activities that involve less people, less noise and more alone time. Outside of school, she spends most of her time crocheting, watching movies and working on her 1951 Chevy truck.
“I like to work on my truck because I like learning new things and seeing the progress of what we’ve done,” said Ella.
The girls’ interests are already far from similar. But after graduation this summer, they won’t just be personality and interests apart … they’ll be states apart.
Anna’s mapped out to attend Grace University in Winona Lake, Ind. She has aspirations of becoming a nurse.
“My parents grew up going on missions … and they did clinics in Africa, like helping people and things like that. So, I always thought that what they did was cool and a good way to help people,” Anna said. “One day, I hope to go on a mission and … help people that are sick in other countries.”
While Anna is staying close to home, Ella plans to make a 1,000-mile road trip to the Sunshine State, where she aims to join the Universal Technical Institute (UTI) in Orlando.
At UTI, Ella intends to take her “hands-on” approach and apply it to her future– pursuing a career as a Marine Mechanic.
***
The Marcum sisters and Johnson brothers aren’t the only pairs of siblings at Delta who are complete opposites.
Junior Landon Williams and sophomore Mabrey Williams get along well together, but still have their own distinct qualities.
“I would say I’m very outgoing, pretty funny and I’m usually easy to converse with. Mabrey is pretty shy and not as outgoing.; she’s more of an introvert,” Landon said. “When you first get to know her, you’re going to be like, ‘There’s no way this is her brother.’ But once you get to know her, she starts to open up more.”
Mabrey is on the cheerleading team and devotes a lot of her time to the sport. When she’s not cheering for the Eagles, she’s doing a competitive All Star cheerleading.
Besides cheerleading, Mabrey enjoys hanging out with her friends and family. She especially likes to go shopping with her friends.
Like his sister, Landon appreciates his relationships with his friends.
“I love hanging out with my friends,” Landon said. “It’s hard telling what we’re gonna do. It’s kind of more just wherever the wind takes us.”
Additionally, Landon loves to golf; he is now in his second year on the golf team.
When he’s not on the links, he’s in the gym working out or in school. Landon’s normal school day, however, is different than most high schoolers’ day.
Landon goes to the MACC for the last four periods of the day. There, he works in a carpentry class.
“The coolest thing we’ve built so far is a house; we didn’t build the frame, but everything else was from the ground up,” he said.
And Landon isn’t just building houses now. He’s building his future.
Set on not going to college, Landon plans to attend a trade school. He isn’t sure what he wants to specialize in just yet, but as a junior, he still has time to make a decision.
On the contrary, Mabrey thinks college is a good fit for her. Only a sophomore, she hasn’t narrowed down exactly what she wants to study– although she is pretty sure she wants to do something medical-related.
With all three pairs of siblings, their differences project different futures for each of them individually.
However, with all three pairs of siblings, it is safe to say this:
Their bedrooms are physically right next to each other at this moment– but they’re poles apart. Their daily lives are really only separated by a couple hundred feet– but they will forever be 41.7 million feet apart from each other.
