By Sydni Anderson, Staff writer
When a person is walking on campus and feels like they are seeing double, they’ve probably come across one of the few pairs Murray State twins.
The Whitman Twins
Liz and Becca Whitman, juniors, are fraternal twins from Louisville, Kentucky. Liz is an early childhood education major and Becca is a nonprofit leadership major.
Q: Why did you choose to go to Murray State?
Liz: I chose to go to Murray State because of the small, friendly campus and town and also because the education program is so great.
Becca: It is close enough to home where we can drive home for the weekend if we wanted to, but far enough away for us to be independent.
Q: What are your future goals?
Liz: My goal is to become a teacher at a local preschool back in Louisville. I hope to teach threes or fours.
Becca: I want to work for CASA in Louisville or Charleston – two of my favorite places – and be an advocacy volunteer coordinator.
Q: What are the perks to being twins in college?
Liz: A perk of being a twin in college is that I always have a support system, no matter what.
Becca: You always have a friend to go to whenever you need someone. I know that even if my friends don’t understand what I am going through, there is a sense of comfort because Liz knows how I am feeling and what I am going through.
Q: What is your favorite thing about having a twin?
Liz: My favorite thing about my twin is that she always has my back. No matter what, she will always be there for me. My favorite thing about having a twin is the constant support.
Becca: I’ll have a forever friend no matter what, where we’ll go or what we do. We will always have each other backs, and I’ll be her number one supporter and she’ll be mine.
The Hancock Twins
Hilliary and Kayla Hancock are identical twins from Bumpus Mills, Tennessee. Kayla graduated in December 2016 with a bachelor’s in nursing. Hilliary graduated May 2015 with a bachelor’s in agriculture.
Q: Why did you choose to go to the same university as your twin?
Hilliary: The thought of going to a different university than my twin never crossed my mind. We shared everything – from clothes, to books, to even our first car. Therefore, it only made sense for us to share an education from Murray State University too.
Kayla: We just always knew we would go to the same college and take as many classes together as we could. In fact, we took the majority of our freshman year classes together and really caused some fun confusion among our classmates and professors.
Q: How do your college experiences differ from your twin’s?
Hilliary: My twin and I had different college experiences. One difference was that my twin gained career experience through externships and clinicals, while I worked part-time for the USDA and on the family farm with my dad.
Kayla: My twin sister was very involved with clubs associated with her agriculture business major. She was a counselor one summer with IFAL and worked with the USDA Farm Service Agency during her last semester of college. Although I wasn’t in the same major as her, I often attended meetings with her and spent much time with the friends she had made in her agriculture classes. On the other hand, I spent the majority of my time outside of nursing classes in clinicals and working as a nurse extern.
Q: What is your favorite thing about having a twin?
Hilliary: My favorite thing about my twin is that she is my birthday buddy. I have always thought it would be so sad to not have anyone to blow out birthday cake candles with on your birthday. My favorite thing about having a twin is always having someone I can relate to on a level only relevant to twins. Twin telepathy is the best.
Kayla: The best part of having a twin is having a forever best friend. I’ve never known life without her by my side, and I’m so thankful for that. She’s my greatest source of encouragement and the one who always supports me in all my endeavors.