The three Emanuel brothers grew up Chicago, raised by an Israeli pediatrician father and an activist mother. Their mother Marsha Emanuel was sometimes arrested while protesting with the civil rights movement.Courtesy of the Emanuel family
For this week’s cover of TIME, we interviewed nine sets of high-achieving siblings to figure out what their childhoods had in common. We went looking for sets of siblings who didn’t come from enormous family fortune or legacy, yet all went on to success in wildly different fields.
Take, for example, the Emanuel brothers: Zeke is a bioethicist and a vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania who helped design the Affordable Care Act, Rahm is the mayor of Chicago and President Obama’s former chief of staff, and Ari created Hollywood talent agency William Morris Endeavor. Or the Wojcicki sisters. Susan is the CEO of YouTube, Janet is a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at University of California, San Francisco, and Anne is the CEO and co-founder of genetics company 23andMe. Or the Rodriguez sisters, which include a private-equity partner, Ivelisse Rodriguez Simon, a medical clinic director, Rebecca Rodriguez, and a Golden-Globe winning actress, Gina Rodriguez. Or the Antonoff siblings, who design clothes (Rachel) and win Grammys, (Jack).
To find out more about what made these super-siblings thrive, check out the full cover story here. In the meantime, here are photographs of our nine extraordinary families, then and now.
The Wojcicki sisters were raised on the campus of Stanford University by their father, a Polish immigrant who chaired the Stanford physics department, and their mother, an educator. Their mother Esther Wojcicki taught them to swim, read, and count before they started school. The girls grew up surrounded by their father's "physics buddies," and loved to play pranks on world-famous scientists (and each other.) Courtesy of the Wojcicki familySisters Janet Wojcicki, a professor at UCSF, Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, and Anne Wojcicki, co-founder and CEO of 23andMeCody Pickens for TIMEThe three Rodriguez sisters grew up in Chicago. Their father, a boxing coach and referee, taught them how to punch and block a hit, but they never turned their fists on each other. Courtesy of the Rodriguez familyToday, Rebecca Rodriguez is a physician and clinic director, Gina is the Golden-Globe winning star of Jane the Virgin and Ivelisse is a partner at a private-equity firm. Courtesy of the Rodriguez familyThe Antonoff siblings were allowed to skip school whenever they wanted while growing up in suburban NJ. Courtesy of the Antonoff familyToday, Jack Antonoff is a Grammy-winning musician, and Rachel is a fashion designer.Amy LombardThe Lin parents fled China as Mao came to power, then became college professors in Ohio. The Lin siblings recall growing up with few rules, but lots of freedom to write and create art. Courtesy of the Lin familyMaya Lin is now an artist and architect who famously designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and Tan is a poet and author (pictured here with their mother).Courtesy of the Lin familyThe Haitian-American Gay trio grew up mostly in Nebraska. To their father, an engineer, and their mother, a former French teacher good grades were an expectation, not a choice. Courtesy of the Gay familyToday, Michael Gay Jr. is a civil engineer, Roxane is a best-selling author and New York Times writer and Joel is the CEO of Energy Recovery.Cindy HeggerAfter their parents emigrated from India, the Srinivasan clan grew up in Lawrence, KS and became huge fans of the Kansas University Jayhawks. Courtesy of the Srinivasan familyNow grown, Srinija Srinivasan sits on the board of Stanford University and was Yahoo’s fifth employee, Sri is a U.S. Court of Appeals judge on the D.C. Circuit, and Srija is the interim deputy chief of the San Mateo County health system.Courtesy of the Srinivasan familyThe Dungey sisters grew up in Sacramento, CA in the 1970s. They loved TV so much that they each had their own subscription to TV Guide. Courtesy of the Dungey familyToday, Merrin Dungey is an actor appearing in Alias and Once Upon a Time, and Channing is the president of ABC Entertainment Group.Courtesy of the Dungey familyThe Simmons brothers grew up in heroin-riddled Hollis, Queens, NY, in the 1960s and 70s (pictured here in the early 2000s.)
Now, Rev Run is a rapper and reality star, Danny is a painter and philanthropist and Russell is a Def Jam co-founder and hip-hop mogul.
Courtesy of the Simmons familyThe three Emanuel brothers grew up Chicago, raised by an Israeli pediatrician father and an activist mother. Their mother Marsha Emanuel was sometimes arrested while protesting with the civil rights movement. Courtesy of the Emanuel familyToday, Zeke Emanuel is the University of Pennsylvania vice provost of global initiatives, Rahm is the mayor of Chicago and Ari created Hollywood talent agency William Morris EndeavorBrooke Collins—City of Chicago
