Twin takeover: UNC twins create a community

For UNC sophomore Marissa Jackson, two has always been better than one. The biology major considers her experience growing up as an identical twin to be a blessing.

“I always had a best friend,” Jackson said. “We’ve done everything in life together.”

So when Kayla Scinta, another twin across the hall, told her about “UNC Twins!,” the Facebook group she created Saturday, Marissa and her sister Madison were excited to help out.

“It’s always cool to hear different twins’ perspectives on different things in life,” Madison said.

Kayla and Kayce had never been friends with twins growing up, and when they met Marissa and Madison, they realized there was an instant connection between the four of them.

“It’s a conversation starter,” Madison said.

From sharing stories about swapping places that rival those of “The Parent Trap” to lamenting over the struggle of being called the wrong name, the girls were able to create a tight-knit relationship in just a few weeks.

This immediate bond was what prompted Kayla to create “UNC Twins!”.

Kayla said she wants other twins to form the type of bond that she has formed with Kayce, Marissa and Madison. She also said she wants to talk about “twin stuff.”

“There’s so many twins here, and when you meet one, you feel this instant connection,” Kayla said.

Although the group first appeared on Facebook this past Saturday, people have already been receptive to the idea of it.

Students, both twins and non-twins, have been joining the group after Kayla posted on the “Overheard at UNC” Facebook page. Although the post has been taken down, interest still remains for the group, which has been growing since its inception.

While “UNC Twins!” has yet to have a meeting or promote itself outside of social media and word-of-mouth, the founders say that will all change soon.

Kayla says the four girls are currently planning an interest meeting and urge students to look for information over the next few weeks. And since there are many twins on campus — 24 sets in the class of 2018 alone — the founders hope that interest in the group will continue to grow.

They are brainstorming possible future events, ranging from picnic socials, twin photo contests, competitions to see which sets of twins can get away with swapping identities for a day and other events.

“We’re going to have a ‘How to Tell Twins Apart’ tutorial,” Kayla said.

Although the group’s initial goal is to bond with other twins on campus, Kayce said anybody is welcome to be a part of it.

“We’re accepting twins, people who are obsessed with twins and people who have always wanted to be a twin,” Kayce said.

@yayjennic

arts@dailytarheel.com