Twins Together at Saint Mary’s

Seeing Double On Campus

By Natalia Speedon '22

College is a time for independence, change, and a brief separation from your family. Unless you’re one of the 16 Saint Mary’s students who brought a family member to campus this academic year. Eight sets of fraternal and identical twins are a part of Saint Mary’s student body, so seeing twins on campus has been a common occurrence since the start of the year. While some twins wanted to stay together through college, others ended up at Saint Mary’s together unexpectedly.

“We always had the intention of going to the same college,” said Stephanie Rowe ’24. “We definitely did not want to split up and go to different colleges,” added Rachel Rowe ’24.

For Ava and Sinead Brady ’25, going to the same college was not a plan. “It just kind of happened. I applied to Saint Mary’s first then suggested Ava apply. We were sad at the idea of maybe having to leave each other, and we didn’t have to!” Sinead said. That was the case for Kaitlyn and Madison Day ’24 as well. “We didn’t plan to attend the same school because we wanted to branch out,” Kaitlyn said. “I went to another school, didn’t like it, and then thought I can try Saint Mary’s where Madison goes!” 

Attending the same college was even more unplanned for Chelsea Quintana ’24 and Shania Quintana ’23. “It just happened randomly. We are twins but we are in different grade levels. We knew we would stay close in the long run, but now we’re really together,” Chelsea said.  

Twinning in the Classroom

Although twins, each of them have distinct interests, including different majors. Yet, having some of their classes together has its unique benefits too. Ava Brady said, “It’s fun having class together. We shared a 9 a.m. class this semester, and we got breakfast afterwards. It makes the early class bearable knowing we have each other there!”

In addition, classwork seems easier, according to Isabel and Adriana Patacsil ’23. “We always have a study buddy,” Isabel said. “And we share notes and homework with one another if one of us misses a class,” Adrianna added.

For Alexandrea and Brittney Sanders ’25, taking the same classes was part of their College plan. “We purposefully wanted to have the exact same schedule, and it gets lonely when one of us doesn't go to class,” Alexandrea said.

Since Ashley and Lindsey Chaveriat ’25 are both majoring in business, studying and class work has become much more manageable for them. “It’s funny, one of our business professors joked about me and Ashley having telekinesis because we got the same exact score on an exam once,” Lindsey said.

Head softball coaches Cassie Young ’18 and Jamie Young ’18 have a unique twin experience. Their time together as students at Saint Mary’s was so great, they managed to extend the experience. After playing on the softball team together as students and rooming together on campus all four years, the Youngs said attending college together was the best experience of their lives so far. “We shared all of our successes on the field, in the classroom, and in life. Having one another by our side during college gave us a best friend who experienced all of the same challenges, and was an unconditional support,” Cassie said. Today, they both coach the varsity softball team, in addition to their full-time jobs. 

A Deeper Sisterhood

Adjusting to college life can be difficult, especially if it’s the first time away from family. These sets of twins have become even closer by going through major life changes away from home, but together. 

“Saint Mary’s is so proud of its sisterhood. Literally having my sister here is even more special because the school understands the significance of having Isa here, so my relationship with her is growing,” Adriana Patacsil said. 

The emphasis on family that Saint Mary’s has is what led Stephanie and Rachel Rowe to choose to attend the College. “We love Saint Mary’s because they embrace the importance of having family with you. We talked about our identities as a twin in our applications when applying, and Saint Mary’s responded by really appreciating the twin aspect of our identity,” Stephanie said. 

Ashley and Lindsey Chaveriat, along with Emily and Erin Bennett ’23, found that coming to college with a sibling made the adjustment smoother. “Having Erin with me has been like having a built-in friend. She helps me to be more social with my peers,” Emily said. “I could not imagine not having Emily with me. It’s nice that I don’t have to worry about being homesick, because I have family here with me,” Erin added.

Bringing their friendship to campus for each other is one of the best parts of their college life, both Kaitlyn and Madison Day said. “Out of all the people I can go to, I know I will always have Kaitlyn. We also get to meet even more people and make more friends through each other,” Madison said. 

Experiencing the sisterhood of Saint Mary’s has been highly rewarding for the Brady sisters. “Twins have such a special bond and all twins are different,” Ava Brady said. “When you have a twin you feel things more intensely together; it is all part of the experience. I would not change it for anything. Twin souls and minds are intertwined and sense things other siblings do not get the opportunity to experience.”

Shania Quintana said she would not change her college experience with Chelsea. “There is a certain type of love between twins because we experience so much together. Going to the same college as your twin is so remarkable!” she said. “Usually during a college journey, people learn about themselves only, but with a twin it is also amazing to see someone you’ve known forever also go on this journey with you and see how she’s grown too,” said Shania.