WKU News

For many, college is a time of separation from siblings and family members to pursue one’s own path. However, for WKU juniors Jacob and Zach Skillman, college is a journey the brothers and best friends knew they would take together. The identical twin brothers from Katy, Texas, are both Business Economic majors with minors in Computer Information Systems.

The 900-mile journey to WKU began with a gentle nudge from their father, Trent Skillman, a 1994 graduate. WKU is like a second home, said Zach Skillman, “Alumni sentiment is a great metric of school spirit and community; I think WKU does a brilliant job of creating this very community that my dad has always spoken of.” 

Cost versus value consideration was also a significant factor for the twins. They said WKU was the most affordable option compared to staying in-state in Texas.

The brothers have worn multiple hats during their time at WKU. Both spent time on WKU’s Cross Country/Track and Field team. However, once the twins hung up their spikes, they had to shift their focus.

“I was left with quite a large void to fill, but I chose to turn nearly all my pursuits into increasing my involvement in the Gordon Ford College of Business (GFCB),” said Jacob Skillman. 

Both brothers felt like they had to start anew once they gave up their athletic careers, but they are thankful for the community found in the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business. 

The brothers are involved in the Center for Capitalism Book Club, are GFCB Ambassadors, serve as Senators at-Large for the Student Government Association, and are GFCB Peer Tutors. 

Zach Skillman said, “WKU affords its students so many incredible opportunities to engage with their peers and find the thing that makes them the happiest. It is truly a small-time campus with a big-time reach.”

They both explained how their GFCB experience has been life-changing, and they are thankful for the unique set of resources offered by the college. They received solid classroom instruction and in-depth professional development training that is preparing them for life after college. 

“The business college and its faculty make me feel like a valued member of the institution. At WKU, it feels that no time is inconvenient, and no question is dumb, which has allowed me to turn over a massive leaf as a scholar and a person,” said Jacob Skillman.

What does the future hold for these two brothers? This summer, they plan to experience life together as interns. They are headed to Louisville to work as Financial Development Program Interns with GE Appliances. Then, in the fall, they plan to return to WKU, which they now consider their second home, to finish their coursework. The twins even have an agreement for after graduation. “Even our future careers are going to be very much based on proximity to one another to the point where we would likely target the same region or city for such endeveavors,” said Zach Skillman.

They said their WKU experience has been sweeter together. Jacob Skillman called the experience empowering and said, “stepping through these collegiate years together has benefits that severely outweighed any cost of doing so.” 

Zach Skillman said the experience together is about is as good as it gets, “going through WKU with Jacob has been a dang dream and one that I will never take for granted!”

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For more information about the WKU Gordon Ford College of Business, visit https://www.wku.edu/business/.