After living under the same roof for the past 18 years, some senior twins will soon be living over hundreds of miles away from each other. Sharing things like a car, birthday parties to the same experiences, these twins will be starting a new life.
Ayla and Daphne Bishop will both stay in Missouri, but will be on opposite ends of the state, 350 miles away from each other.
“I think it will improve our relationship because we will miss each other a lot and want to see each other more often,” Ayla said.
Ayla and Daphne knew that they’d attend different colleges, but with technology, they’ll be able to stay in touch with each other.
“I don’t think it will really change anything. We always knew we would probably end up at different colleges so we were expecting it. With phones we will be able to talk whenever we want to,” Daphne said.
The Bishops will continue their athletic careers during college. Ayla, the current pole vault school record holder, will continue her Track career at Missouri Southern State University while studying Biomedical Science. Last fall, Daphne earned All-Conference First Team and All-State for Cross Country by placing 7th in Class 5 to help secure the first Cross Country State Championship in school history. She will attend Southeast Missouri State University to continue her Cross Country and Track career while studying Actuarial Science.
“I am most excited to see how different schooling is. In high school I never really took hard classes and in college I will actually be challenging myself. I am also excited to see how different my training will be compared to high school,” Daphne said.
They don’t plan on bringing anything to college that reminds them of each other but they plan on texting and FaceTiming each other often. They also know that if they ever need anything, they can always reach out to each other.
“My advice is to realize that it will be hard, but also understand that you have ways to contact each other,” Ayla said.
Joan and Margaret Williams are going to be over six hours away. Joan is attending Ohio State University to study Finance or Accounting, while Margaret plans on staying local to attend St. Louis University to study Biology.
“I think one of the biggest challenges we will face is that we won’t be able to see or talk to each other whenever we want. We are both so used to always being together and this will be the first time we will be separated from each other. I think we will both have some separation anxiety,” Joan said.
“It definitely will be weird not seeing each other every day but we will still keep in touch. We will definitely text often and FaceTime every now and then,” Margaret said.
Joan has been involved at EHS playing tennis in the fall and running track in the spring, while also being a part of multiple clubs including NHS, E! CREW, Best Buddies, SWAT, and French Club. Margaret is also in NHS and Best Buddies and has been a part of Eureka Theatre Company, playing multiple acting roles and even working behind the scenes in the crew.
Margaret plans on bringing a framed photo of them to put in her dorm. They hope to visit each other at school and they look forward to seeing each other during holiday breaks. While the
distance might be hard, it also allows for growth and independence.
“The advice I would give to other twins is to make your college decision based on what you want. Your twin should not hold you back from your goals, but should support you even if it means you will be far apart. Going to different colleges can help twins gain independence and be able to live their own life without the constant comparison they typically face. It is important to know that twins might want different things in college, but the distance can never break a twin’s bond,” Joan said.
Jack and Jenna Cubbage will be nearly 450 miles apart. Jack plans to continue his Basketball career at Washington University in St. Louis while studying Accounting. Jenna is also continuing her athletic career, playing Volleyball at Wichita State University and majoring in Chemistry on the pre-med track. Both of them are looking forward to freedom and a different experience.
“I’m looking forward to being able to experience life on my own and not always having to share everything with Jack. Being apart will give us different experiences and help us grow individually,” Jenna said.
“I’m looking forward to gaining some freedom in college as I will have to become a little more independent since we won’t be in the same classes. Also, I think we will both benefit from being on our own as we can both thrive in our own ways,” Jack said.
Both Cubbages are successful on and off their designated courts. On the volleyball court, Jenna met her 1000 kills goal for EHS during her senior year. Jenna also received multiple postseason awards, including All-District First Team, All-Conference First Team, All-State, and AVCA All-Region. Over the past winter, Jack was MBCA Academic All-State and leaves EHS finishing 7th in career blocked shots. They also both received the “Knowledge” Glory of Missouri Award.
“It will be different not having a lot of the same classes as Jack so we won’t have each other to use for help on assignments and homework, but it will be a good challenge. It also allows us to pursue different areas of study freely,” Jenna said.
Jack also agrees and explains another challenge.
“I think at first it will be hard to not be with Jenna because we have always kind of relied on each other when struggling with work, but I think once we get into the flow of college we will be fine,” Jack said. “Another challenge will be the distance in general because we have been living together for 17 years and so it will definitely be challenging at first.”
Jack and Jenna both plan on bringing photos to college to hang up in their dorm rooms to remind them of the memories they created together. These photos will also remind them that they can reach out and check in with each other.
“I would tell twins that are considering going to different colleges to do it. It might not be an easy thing but it will help you grow and develop individually. It will also give you different friends from the other twin and you can begin to learn how to be separate from them,” Jenna said.
