Sisters Reunite on SDSU Campus
When Christy and Tiffany Dykstra each applied for SDSU faculty positions, the result was a family reunion.
Sisters, Christy and Tiffany Dykstra were born and raised in Michigan. After high school, they and their three siblings went separate ways to pursue an education and eventually individual careers.
Tiffany went to West Virginia to explore the world of communication, while Christy eventually settled in Georgia, where she found a passion for environmental engineering.
After living in separate states for years, the Dykstra sisters worked diligently to keep their relationship strong. The two found time to text and talk on the phone, but saw each other face-to-face only on major holidays – until recently.
Sisterly Connection
Late last year, Christy saw a job posting for an assistant professor position at San Diego State University. She applied, and was later asked to interview for the position. Like she had countless times before, Christy picked up the phone to share the news with her sister. But Tiffany had her own announcement. She was also knee-deep in the interview process for an assistant professor position in the School of Communication.
“I remember the phone call when she told me she had an interview, and I was so surprised,” said Tiffany. “At the time, we both kind of tempered our enthusiasm, because you never know at that point."
That tempered enthusiasm soon turned into a collective excitement when both were offered their respective positions.
“We were on the phone talking the whole time, and just saying, ‘I can’t believe this is real,’” said Christy, an assistant professor of engineering.
The two now live roughly three minutes from one another. Christy said it is still exciting to go over to her sister’s place for dinner, and be able to grab a casual lunch on campus.
“We can get together for dinners now,” said Christy. “It’s like having a family reunion all the time.”
Not only did Christy and Tiffany both join SDSU this fall, they also started on the same day and continued through new faculty training together.
“I think that we both kind of saw something unique in SDSU,” said Christy. “Especially with the research focus, also the focus on the students and the diversity of the students. It was something that we both were looking for.”
