Sibling rivalry fuels research initiatives

Sibling rivalry inspires competition in everything from games and grades to sports and scholarship. When siblings compete, they try to cross the finish line first. However, brother and sister pair Michael Cook and Jennifer Cook Edwards view sibling rivalry a little differently. For them, having a sibling by their side meant having an extra layer of support while they crossed the line together.

In addition to graduating from the same EdD program offered by the University of Georgia College of Education this past fall, the pair also received the same master’s degree from Shorter College and currently work as business management instructors at Southern Crescent Technical College in Griffin, Ga.

In 2013, Cook and Edwards joined the first cohort of prospective EdD students in workforce education at UGA’s Griffin Campus. “I wouldn’t have made it without her because I wanted to quit numerous times,” said Cook. “We both work in the technical college profession and so the program was the perfect fit. After all, our mission is to train work-ready students for the workforce.”