If you’ve seen “The Parent Trap”, “She’s the Man”, “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” or anything with Mary-Kate and Ashley in it, you’ve probably wished you had a twin at some point in your life. Having a twin seems like a magical experience through which you can find out how you would look in an outfit without having to try it on, read each other’s minds and live in a hotel.
While for many of us, having a twin will always remain a beautiful dream, some Ouachita students actually know what it’s like to have a twin. Get ready to meet some of the twins of Ouachita and find out what it’s really like to share a birthday, look exactly like someone else and get asked way too many times if you have twin telepathy.
THE ATHLETES
Who they are: Jay Patrick, junior biology major, kinesiology minor
Clay Patrick, junior biology major, coaching minor
Where they’re from: Springdale, Arkansas
OBU SIGNAL: Besides your faces, what about you and your twin is the most similar?
CLAY: Probably our personalities. We both aren’t always the most talkative but we’re goofballs at heart.
JAY: Clay and I are about the same in everything. We both play football. We both like movies and both like to jam out to the same songs. Shoot, we’ve even dressed the same on accident.
OBU SIGNAL: What’s the most annoying thing people say about you being twins?
JAY: When they say we’re the same person, or if they don’t even try to get our names right and just do it because they think it’s funny.
CLAY: When people tell us we’re one person or call us each other’s name on purpose.
OBU SIGNAL: How do you think your life would be different if you’d grown up without a twin?
CLAY: If I didn’t have a twin, I wouldn’t have to worry about wearing the same thing as him all the time.
JAY: Life would be weird. I probably wouldn’t have come to OBU because he’s the reason I came in the first place.
THE SWEET ONES
Who they are: Lana Rose, senior history and secondary education double major
Colleen Rose, senior kinesiology and secondary education double major
Where they’re from: Shreveport, Louisiana
OBU SIGNAL: What’s the coolest thing about being twins?
LANA: We get to have random conversations with strangers about being twins. It’s normal to walk through a store and have people stop us and ask if we’re twins. We’ve had the opportunity to be friendly and nice to so many people because being a twin happens to be a good conversation starter!
OBU SIGNAL: What’s the easiest way, in your opinions, for people to tell you apart?
COLLEEN: Our voices.
LANA: Our noses.
OBU SIGNAL: How do you usually react to people mixing you up?
LANA: If they know me, then I might give them a harder time, but if they don’t know us that well, it’s okay. I’m used to people getting us mixed up and I usually get a good laugh out of it.
COLLEEN: Sometimes we pretend to be the other twin when someone says hi or comes up to talk to us. If they don’t know I have a twin, it’s sometimes just easier to answer questions meant for my twin than explain that we’re twins and they actually don’t know me.
THE GUY-AND-GIRL TWINS
Who they are: McCall Lockard, freshman business major
Christian Lockard, freshman graphic design major
Where they’re from: Conway, Arkansas
OBU SIGNAL: What’s the weirdest thing you’ve been asked about being twins?
McCALL: The weirdest thing I always get asked is if we have “twin telepathy” or can read each other’s minds. We definitely don’t! I know when he’s sad or really excited or something like that, but I don’t ever know what he’s actually thinking! We also get asked if we’re dating – that happens a lot too. Whenever just the two of us hang out, people always tend to think we’re dating!
CHRISTIAN: People ask if we have twin mind-reading, like if we can tell if the other one is hurt or how they are feeling – and I get asked so much if we’re identical!
OBU SIGNAL: Have you ever thought of your twin as the “opposite-gender version” of yourself?
CHRISTIAN: Not really. We had different hobbies and attributes growing up. I only ever hear that McCall looks like the girl version of me, but never the exact version.
McCALL: I’ve never really thought of Christian as the guy version of me. I see a lot of differences in our personalities, and we both just care more about different things. I think in most cases, we’re pretty opposite and a lot of times that makes us closer.
OBU SIGNAL: What’s something people might not know about being twins of different genders?
CHRISTIAN: They can be very helpful when it comes to meeting other people or girls you think are cute.
OBU SIGNAL: What’s your favorite thing about having a twin?
McCALL: My favorite thing about having a twin is that I always have someone to talk to or hang out with – if he’s not too busy for me! We’re both going through this college transition at the same time so it’s nice to be able to relate to each other and talk to the person you’ve grown up with about the things going on right now… and it’s really nice to always be able to call him if I’m hungry and want him to buy me dinner!
THE SECRET TWIN
Who she is: Hanna Schulz, junior Christian studies and Spanish double major
Who her twin is: Harlee Schulz, junior elementary education major at the University of Texas at Tyler
Where they’re from: Sulphur Springs, Texas
OBU SIGNAL: How do people usually react when they find out you have a twin?
HANNA: People usually don’t believe me since she doesn’t go to school here. Everybody’s always really surprised and I’ll have to show a picture, and sometimes they still don’t believe me.
OBU SIGNAL: Did you two make a conscious decision not to go to the same college?
HANNA: Yeah, I definitely wanted to go to a different school than her just because we’ve been together our whole lives. I thought it would be cool to experience life without a twin. We were always in the same classes, we played soccer together in high school, we had the same group of friends… it was good, but I was ready to be my own person. People would compare us, and they’d ask, “Where’s Harlee?” and I’d be like, “I don’t know!” I think we were both okay with not going to the same college.
OBU SIGNAL: How do you think living away from your twin has changed you?
HANNA: I was definitely way more of an introvert before college. We always said the good thing about having a twin is that you never have to go anywhere alone, and so when I came to college, I didn’t do anything because I didn’t want to do anything alone. I had to make myself break out of my shell. I’ve become a lot more confident in myself, and more outgoing and extraverted because I don’t have that person there with me.
THE SECRET TWIN #2
Who she is: Krystal Parker, sophomore Christian studies major, English minor
Who her twin is: Kaitlyn Parker, working and planning to go to cosmetology school
Where they’re from: Manila, Arkansas
OBU SIGNAL: How did you two end up being split up, with only you coming to Ouachita?
KRYSTAL: I’ve always been very academic and she’s always been more athletic, and school wasn’t for her. When I started applying to colleges, I really liked Ouachita so it was just one of those things where she decided what was best for her was to stay at home and work, save up money, and then go to cosmetology school. It was just different interests.
OBU SIGNAL: People always say twins have a special bond. What do you think makes being twins different from being a different kind of sibling?
KRYSTAL: Probably being together from the very beginning. I also have an older brother and we’re eight years apart. With Kaitlyn, we were together in the womb and every stage that I went through in life, I went through with her – I still do, but it’s a little different now that we’re separated. As twins, you’re always together and you form a strong bond from a young age… you’re growing up together, and you always have your best friend there with you.
OBU SIGNAL: When you’re not in school, do you and your twin spend a lot of time together?
KRYSTAL: Every waking second. Especially now that I’m older, I appreciate her a lot more than I did when I was younger.
THE QUADRUPLETS
Who they are: Katherine Carter, sophomore Christian studies and sociology double major
Michael Carter, sophomore business major
Ashley Carter, sophomore business major
Leslie Carter, sophomore business major at the University of Arkansas
Where they’re from: Little Rock, Arkansas
OBU SIGNAL: What’s the best thing about being a quadruplet?
KATHERINE: Having such close-knit relationships with your siblings. We’re all really close, despite what we want others to believe.
OBU SIGNAL: Are there any assumptions or stereotypes about quadruplets you’ve encountered that you’d like to clear up?
KATHERINE: A lot of people will ask if we can speak telepathically with each other, with the obvious answer being no! They’ll also ask us if we’re identical, the answer also being no considering there’s a boy in the mix.
OBU SIGNAL: Let’s get real here: sharing a birthday? Is it awesome or a little rough?
KATHERINE: Sharing a birthday is a little annoying at times, given that it’s a day most people have to themselves. My 20th birthday this summer was actually the first one that I celebrated without my siblings, as I was coming home from being involved in a missions internship with my church in New York at the time. I like sharing a birthday sometimes too because in the past we’ve thrown large parties that were always really fun.
By Kimberly Wong
