By Noe Padilla
Normally at this time of year, the UC Santa Barbara campus would be roaring with excitement for its graduating class, but this year it’s empty and quiet due to the coronavirus pandemic. A virtual Commencement is scheduled for Saturday. Still, many stories from this year’s seniors will go unheard as they quietly transition out of this period of their lives, accompanied by a few celebratory Zoom sessions to mark the occasion.
But to honor our Humanities and Fine Arts graduates, let's take a moment to hear one story, of the 22-year-old fraternal twin brothers Calvin and Cooper Bruhns from Yreka, California. Each is graduating with an arts degree: Cooper in Theater and Dance, and Calvin in Film and Media.
A screenshot of Theater graduate Cooper Bruhns (left) and Film graduate Calvin Bruhns, from a recent interview conducted over Zoom.
Like most twins, they have been together since day one, but unlike most twins, they ended up following each other to the same university. This in itself was an accident. Although Calvin had always wanted to study at UC Santa Barbara, that was not the case for his brother Cooper, who goes by the non-binary pronouns they, their and them.
Cooper originally intended to go to an acting school in New York, but after looking at the cost, decided to stay in-state and attend UCSB. Cooper decided to get involved with every production they could at UCSB. There was also one other thing that was certain: they didn’t want to share a room with a sibling anymore.
Cooper enrolled as a Theater and Dance major, while Calvin originally intended to enroll as pre-med student. But after shadowing a doctor for his high school senior year project, Calvin realized he didn’t actually want to become a doctor. He pondered what other majors he would find interesting, and with some encouragement from his mother, Calvin decided to enroll as a Film and Media Studies major.
For both twins, their mother was a driving force behind their love for the arts. She was drawn to the arts due to her synesthesia, a condition in which one sense is simultaneously perceived by one or more other senses, which prompted her to study art in school. She always pushed her sons to get involved with activities such as art, music, and sports.
“As we were growing up, she always encouraged us to play instruments… like the guitar” Calvin recalled. “We joined the class band. Cooper did choir for years. But for me she’s really the presence that inspired me to pursue film.”
Humanities and Fine Arts graduates Cooper Bruhns (left) and his twin Calvin Bruhns, at the age of three. Photo provided by Calvin Bruhns.
When Calvin was six, his mother introduced him to film, and from then on, he spent most of his free time either watching or studying film. Throughout his life, he actively made short films with his friends, but always believed that he’d be a doctor instead of a filmmaker.
“I developed an appreciation for cinematography, sound design and lighting work, but it was all just a fun passion of mine. I never really saw myself doing anything with it,” said Calvin. “Now it’s turned into my full-fledged ambition to do something with film and in the film industry, and I can’t see myself working towards anything else.”
When it came to Cooper, their mother enrolled them in singing classes when they were seven. After one class, the instructor asked them to participate in the winter play, which marked the start of Cooper’s love for theater. Since then, they’ve been in a production at every possible opportunity. But it wasn’t until watching Disney’s The Lion King on Broadway that Cooper discovered their dream of working in theater.
“I remember after the show was over and we got out to the street I turned to my grandmother and I told her ‘I’m going to be up there someday’,” Cooper said.
This drive can be seen in the number of productions that Cooper has been a part of while at UCSB, including Cabaret, The Winter’s Tale, Tartuffe, and many more. Twin Calvin’s drive to do film can be seen in his production of the music video Daughter, and the videos he has created as a web and social media intern for UCSB’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.
For the past four years at UCSB, the Bruhns brothers have grown up with each other but also independent of one another.
“Being in I.V. we could still see each other whenever we wanted. We didn’t only see each other when we both came home for the holidays or try to make a visit out to see each other,” said Calvin. “We could still be as close as we are to each other, still lean on each other for any type of support we need. We’re always there for each other.”
And even in those moments when they didn’t need each other for support, they would still find themselves running into each other.
“There’s been a few times where I'll go to I.V. Deli Mart past midnight and run into Calvin,” said Cooper, “which is just funny because the same thing will happen when you run into friends, but then it’s totally different when you run into your family member... It’s nice to maintain close proximity with each other.”
They were able to watch each other grow as people, and flourish into the confident graduates they are today.
“Cooper has always been a super driven person, and I think that’s only intensified and grown stronger here at college,” said Calvin when reflecting on his brother’s growth.
Cooper enjoyed watching Calvin discover his passion for film after giving up the idea of medicine. “It’s been so wonderful to see Calvin be able to fully realize his passion and find himself and go in his own direction,” Cooper said. “To be able to stand up for himself and say ‘this is what I want to do, I’m going to do it’.”
Next fall, Cooper will be attending the Yale School of Drama. Prior to the pandemic, that meant being away for three years, but now the university is planning to add an additional year so students can obtain the full experience.
Calvin originally intended to move to Los Angeles to find work within the film industry, but the coronavirus has put that on hold for the foreseeable future. Until it is safer and the industry gears back up, Calvin plans to go to graduate school to continue his studies in film and media.
As their senior year wraps up and they begin new chapters in their lives, this will be the first time that the twins will actually have to say their goodbyes to each other and live in different cities.
“I loved going to school with them, it’s been an opportunity I don’t think I would have appreciated if they went somewhere else,” said Calvin. “I don’t think I would have realized how much I would have missed them. I’m glad I had them.”
All the Bruhns children last winter. Cooper (left), Calvin (middle), and older brother Spencer. Twins Cooper and Calvin are both graduating with degrees from UCSB’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts. Photo provided by Calvin Bruhns.
Noe Padilla is graduating this week from UC Santa Barbara with a degree in philosophy and a certificate in journalism. He has been news editor for The Bottom Line student newspaper and a web and social media intern for the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts.