El Paso siblings go from basketball to medical field

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- For most collegiate student athletes, athletics can come first while academics take a backseat.

But for Ayaan and Nehaa Sohail, they found a balance unlike any other.

The two siblings played basketball at Coronado High School. Nehaa was a McDonald's All American Nominee, and played for 4 years at Utah Valley University, a Division 1 school in the Western Athletic Conference. Ayaan averaged over 25 points per game his senior year of high school, and played 2 years at Lamar University, a Division 1 school in the Southland Conference.

However, neither of them were satisfied with just basketball. They both graduated early from college on a pre-med track, with a 4.0 GPA each. Now, they are both in medical school, with Nehaa finishing up her second year at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center in El Paso, and Ayaan finishing his first year at the McGovern Medical School in Houston.

"When I tried out for the team in seventh grade, I kind of just did it as a joke with my friends because everyone else was doing it," said Nehaa. "I didn't know that was going to be in the cards for me."

Nehaa and Ayaan are just two years apart, and their bond has grown stronger as the years have gone by.

"She's actually my best friend," said Ayaan. "Her being there for me every step of the way, it was kind of like she was the leader and I was kind of like the follower in that sense."

The two siblings are two of the first ever Pakistani Division 1 athletes in NCAA history. They both take incredible pride in that accomplishment, giving all their credit to their parents and their older brother Aashir, who also played college basketball.

"My parents come from a country where there's not many opportunities," Ayaan told ABC-7. "So a lot of the opportunities that have presented themselves to me today is because of the sacrifices they made. So I've tried to make big use of that."

Their parents, Rahail and Kama, immigrated to the U.S nearly 40 years ago, and have been in El Paso for the past 26 years. They say that they never pushed any of their 4 kids into any profession, they just cared if they were happy or not.

"You want to be in sports, you want to be a doctor, you want to be a banker, you want to be a pilot? It doesn't matter. You need to excel in whatever you choose and be happy in your choice," said Kama.

"I make sure that I come in for their games. I love it, and if I miss it, my mood is off, honestly," said Rahail. "No matter what, we are there for them emotionally, socially, financially, whatever their needs are."

Ayaan and Nehaa have both gained a large social media following. They have hundreds of thousands of followers on multiple platforms, telling ABC-7 their goals are to inspire the next generation of South Asian athletes.

"I know there's a lot of stereotypes about being Desi, and specifically Pakistani," said Nehaa. "I know society likes to put us into just one certain thing, but we are so much more capable of things that we can do."

"Just pursue your dreams, whatever it is. I mean, if you want to do two things at once, it's totally possible."

If you want to follow their journeys, you can find them on Instagram at @ayaansohaill and @nehaasohaill.