It’s one thing to have siblings at school with you, but it is a whole different thing to have a twin. Sometimes, walking through the hallways at Liberty, a sense of deja-vu can occur when seeing the same face twice down the same hallway. Or, twins can be hidden in plain sight and only be discovered because of a shared last name.

The prevalence of twins, overall, have increased throughout the past few decades. According to everydayhealth.com, the twin birth-rate has risen 76 percent in the past 40 years, and there are about 1.6 million twins born each year. In the grand scheme of things, it may not seem like a lot compared to the 7 billion people in the world, but Liberty has its fair share of twins.

There are many different combinations of twins: identical girls, identical boys, fraternal boy and girl, fraternal boy and boy, or fraternal girl and girl. Although, different types of twins all have their special experiences.

One kind of twins that is common at liberty is identical twins. It is pretty cool to look at what looks like carbon copies of a person, but it’s more interesting to learn what it is like to be a twin.

Makayla and Sydney Hested, sophomores, are one of these sets of doubles. They both have cherished their unique upbringing.

Makayla said,  “Growing up with a twin, you always have a best friend and someone to hang out with… We have the same friends and we enjoy the same things, so that makes it easier to try new things and that is why we are so close.”

Sydney also spoke about how she was lucky to grow up as a twin.

She said, “We did everything together, the same sports, camps, and activities. I always had a friend in the room no matter what.”

One of the most common questions for identical twins is “Have you ever switched places”, so of course it came up when talking to  Makayla.

“We tried to switch places once in fifth grade, our teachers thought it was funny, but the third teacher in the section was mad at us,” Makayla said.

“We knew our teacher wouldn’t care and it was all fun in games. We got caught almost immediately because I always did tasks in the morning for my teacher and Makyala didn’t know that. They thought it was funny that we tried, but we ended up getting in trouble by a teacher neither one of us had. After that, we never tried again,” Sydney added.

As fun as that sounds, it is important to acknowledge that they are two different people, with two separate interests. They are still similar, but are special in their own way.

“We recently began playing different sports,” Makyala said. “She plays golf, softball, and we are on different volleyball teams. I am playing soccer and volleyball. I enjoy doing things together but also enjoy doing things apart”.

Sydney thinks that their differences help with their dynamic.

“We definitely balance each other out and hold each other accountable in everything we do,” Sydney said.

Sometimes, Makayla and Sydney are placed in the same class; it’s definitely difficult for some people to have a class with one’s sibling, but the Hesteds love it.

Makayla said: “I really enjoy sitting by Sydney in classes, and it is a lot of fun for us. We had Chemistry the last two trimesters together and sat by each other and I loved it. We also have a home room and an advisory room together, but we do tend to get a little rowdy together sometimes.”

Makayla and Sydney love being twins and wouldn’t trade it for anything.

The other type of twin is fraternal, in which Delaine and Vaughn Tyler, sophomores, fit the bill.

Delaine agreed with the Hesteds in that growing up with a twin is super fun.

“Growing up with a twin you always know you will have someone there for you and to be your built-in best friend. It almost feels like you have double the friends and support when you have a twin,” she said.

Even though they cannot switch places, there are unique parts of having a twin of the opposite gender.

Delaine said: “I can get advice from another [a boy’s] perspective.”

Delaine also enjoys having a class with her brother.

“We only have an advisory and study hall together. I really like having classes with Vaughn because I feel more comfortable in the classroom and enjoy the memories we make.”

Like the Hesteds, she feels extremely fortunate to have a twin.

“My favorite part about being a twin is having someone that really understands you and having such a close bond,” said Delaine.

Having a twin is almost more special than  having an older or younger sibling because it is common to be closer with someone that is the same age. Both the Hesteds and Tylers showed that if identical or fraternal, a twin is always a built in best friend.