Twin sisters Pajessa and Trinity Baker of Cobb, Wisconsin, have grown up inseparable. They have spent their lives playing sports together, joining the same clubs and sharing friends. So when it came time to choose a college, they knew one thing for certain: They wanted to go together.
As first-generation college students, they couldn’t fall back on a parent’s alma mater, and as they started dreaming of their dream school, their list of desires grew long.
“We wanted a place far enough from our hometown to give us room to grow, but close enough that we could still drive home on the weekend,” said Pajessa. “We also wanted a community where we would be supported academically, emotionally and spiritually; a school where we could get involved in athletics and, ideally, a place on the water.”
Living a double-digit-hour drive from any ocean, they figured that item would have to stay on the wish list— until they found Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.
Grace first came across the twins’ radar through an unexpected email. While Trinity had been researching colleges, Pajessa took a more laid-back approach to the search. But an eye-catching subject line led Pajessa to the Grace website, where she immediately recognized the fit. Grace College checked every box on the list.
“We just felt called to this school,” said Trinity. “We felt like God was making it abundantly clear, ‘This is the school for you.’ Everything lined up perfectly.”
The twins scheduled their campus visit, and once they arrived, they fell in love with the lakeside community Grace calls home. To seal the deal, the Christian school was not only a doable drive, but it also offered both sisters’ intended majors.
Pajessa is studying general business in Grace’s ACBSP-accredited School of Business and minoring in photography. Trinity is majoring in sport management and minoring in sport psychology. As a lifelong sports fan, she hopes to eventually obtain a doctor of sports psychology degree to help athletes with the mental side of the game. Both girls are taking advantage of the school’s accelerated degree options and plan to complete their undergraduate degrees in three years.
Beyond their studies, the twins are making the most of the extracurricular activities available to them. They will both participate in competitive cheer and JV softball. Pajessa is also joining the school’s new running club.
Among the first in their tight-knit family to leave the small village of Cobb for college, and being away from their triplet, Daniel, for the first time, the twins—and their mom—are grateful for the safety of the Winona Lake community.
