GREENSBORO, N.C. – A look in the mirror. A scan across the room or a glance at a photo inspires Jessica and Jasmine Cullins.
"I enjoy being able to be on a team with my sister," Jessica said. "We push ourselves in practice, in races that we're competing in together, and we push ourselves within the sport. I just enjoy being able to have somebody there with me all the time."
The ebullient 5 foot, 3 inch UNC Greensboro (UNCG) junior women's cross-country runners and twin talents with sunburst smiles are proud of their mixed ethnicities of being Black and Mexican. Their father, Brian, is Black. He was born in Pomona, California. Their mother, Rocio, is Mexican, born in Guadalajara.
"We have been blessed with the opportunities that our parents have provided us," Jessica said. "With our mom being from Mexico and coming to the United States, it makes us proud knowing what she went through as a child and doing a lot for us, just to be here. We take the experiences that our parents went through and apply them to our lives. They've helped us become who we are."
The UNCG athletics department has celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month over the last three weeks. This has been done by sharing a series of social media graphics, short video vignettes, and feature stories across all of its platforms as a way to highlight student-athletes and staff
who identify as Hispanic/Latinx.
Jessica and Jasmine's experiences of bringing the Travel Channel to life as youngsters strengthened their bond and shaped their unique journey to Greensboro, providing a perspective few can match.
"We lived in Mozambique, South Africa when we were one or two years old," Jasmine said. "So, I don't remember much of it. From there we moved to Prague, I don't remember much of that either, then after we moved to Okinawa, Japan, where I did kindergarten and first grade there, I do remember a little of that. I'm a big fan of Japanese culture."
They moved back to California before settling in North Carolina in 2012.
"I'm grateful for those experiences," Jessica said. "I feel like they have allowed me to see other cultures, even though I was so young, with Japan being the one I remember most. I feel like being exposed to other people's way of life; it helps you see things differently as far as the
world."
They are also blessed to share their college careers after decorated ones at Cleveland High School in Clayton, N.C. in which they graduated owning several school records. Jessica in the 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter run. Jasmine in the 500-meter and 1,000-meter races.
The first of numerous one-two finishes for the pair occurred on Dec. 14, 1999, in Los Angeles when Jessica entered the world two minutes ahead of her identical twin sister, Jasmine.
Twinning has been fun for the affable pair.
Making others see double is also a blast.
"There are just very slight physical features that are different," Jasmine said. "I have a mole on the right side by my ear, where she doesn't. She has a scar above her eye which is only kind of noticeable when she scrunches her face. We have close personalities, like the same things, dress the same, and our hair has kind of always been similar."
As Consumer, Apparel, Retail Studies (CARS) majors, they have shared passion for fashion.
They've worked in retail since they were 16 years old. They are members of the UNCG Threads club, a fashion-based organization that allow students to show their creativity through their designs.
Jasmine, who enjoys watching Mulan, has started doing more photoshoots and modeling for people while wearing their designs. Growing up, the entire family bonded by binge-watching "Project Runway."
Meanwhile, Jessica is interested in doing trend forecasting or merchandising.
"I like being able to put outfits together and trying to figure out what colors work best and things like that," Jessica said. "I realized how much I liked the fashion industry in general when I started working at Ralph Lauren. So, it opened my eyes to possibilities for my future."
The immediate future involves preparing for the Southern Conference (SoCon) cross-country championships to be held on Nov. 21 in Macon, Ga.
Whether it's traveling, fashion, running or excelling in the classroom, Jessica and Jasmine are pushing each other to succeed through it all.
