Twins graduating from UNE carry on lifelong journey together through medical school into residency

When Hafsa Sadiq and Hammad Sadiq walked across the stage at the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine commencement ceremony on Friday, they carried more than degrees: They carried with them the story of a family that crossed continents in search of opportunity, of siblings who have spent nearly every chapter of life side by side, and of two first-generation students who found in medicine both a calling and a way to give back.

The fraternal twins, born in Pakistan, spent part of their childhood in Saudi Arabia and ultimately immigrated to the United States with their family in 2010. They settled in Massachusetts, where they navigated high school, college, and eventually the demanding path to medical school together.

Now, after four years at Maine’s medical school, the twins on Friday shared another milestone few medical students ever experience: hooding each other as they received their Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degrees at Merrill Auditorium in Portland.

“It was a huge moment for us,” said Hammad, who matched into a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at Burke Rehabilitation in White Plains, New York. “It’s special that we got to do this for each other. We walked this whole path together — pre-med years, med school, all the changes we’ve gone through as immigrants and as a family. 

“Looking back now, it just feels surreal that this is where we ended up,” he said.

The two are among 166 medical students matched to residencies in surgery, primary care, internal medicine, and other critical fields  in Maine, New England, and beyond in 2026. 

UNE’s medical school allows graduating students to select who will present their doctoral hoods to them during the ceremony, a longstanding tradition in medical education that symbolizes a student’s transition into the profession. After learning that graduates could hood one another, the siblings approached the University with the idea.

“UNE was immediately supportive,” Hammad said. “That meant a lot to us.”

For Hafsa, who matched into anesthesiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Jersey, the moment represented far more than academic achievement.

“Because we’re first-generation students, this journey means so much to our family,” she said. “Our parents didn’t have the opportunity to go to college, so for both of us to earn bachelor’s degrees and now doctorate degrees — it’s emotional. We’re standing there representing the people before us who didn’t have those opportunities.”

Their path to medicine was shaped by personal experiences.

During college, Hammad was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, an experience he said changed the course of his life. Originally interested in research and biotechnology, he found himself inspired by the physicians who helped him through a difficult period.

“When I got sick, it really put everything into perspective,” he said. “My doctors helped me get through one of the lowest points in my life. That experience made me want to pursue medicine and give back to patients the way they helped me.”

Hafsa found her inspiration much earlier, often helping translate for her mother during medical appointments after the family immigrated to the U.S.

“My mom wasn’t very fluent in English at the time, and she has diabetes that was poorly managed,” Hafsa said. “I became the translator and advocate for her at a young age. I saw firsthand the difference culturally sensitive care can make.

“I knew I wanted to be that advocate for other families too,” she said.

Though they attended different undergraduate institutions in Worcester, Massachusetts — Hammad at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and Hafsa at the College of the Holy Cross — the siblings remained deeply intertwined in their journeys. They studied for the MCAT together, shared volunteer experiences, and ultimately both chose UNE.

The University’s proximity to home, emphasis on community-centered care, and supportive environment made the decision feel right, they said.

“This was the first time we had really moved away from home,” Hafsa said. “Being at UNE made that transition easier because we still felt connected to our family and had each other through it all.”

That support continued through their clinical years in New Jersey, where they were placed at the same clinical training site. Even their residency choices were made with closeness in mind.

“It was definitely deliberate,” Hafsa said. “We looked for programs where we could still be near each other and near family. Even though this will be the first time we won’t technically be living together, we’re still close enough to support each other no matter what.”

That lifelong support system has become one of the defining constants in both of their lives.

“We’ve mentored each other this whole way,” Hafsa said. “To be able to hood each other at the end of medical school just feels like the perfect reflection of that.”