Having an identical twin means having a built-in best friend.

“I don’t know how else to live,” Jillian Scott said Friday afternoon, sitting next to her twin sister, Acaja Scott. “People ask, ‘How is it being a twin?’ Well, I’ve never experienced not being a twin. I have other siblings that aren’t my twins, but being a twin is kind of like my identity.”

“I always think, ‘My friends have to be so lonely, but I always have Jillian to talk to,’" Acaja said. "We kind of do everything together. I think going separate ways will be hard, but it will be kind of fun because when we do get to see each other again it will be more special.”

The 18-year-old Lake City High School seniors are coming to a fork in their usually parallel paths. Jillian, "Thing 1," will graduate with honors from Lake City and an associate degree from North Idaho College through its dual-enrollment program. She lettered in varsity soccer and tennis. She will head to Boise State University this fall with the goal of working in veterinary medicine.

Acaja, "Thing 2," enlisted into the United States Marine Corps and earned the prestigious four-year Margaret Brewer Scholarship through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program. She will attend Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Fla., as she pursues her pilot wings. Acaja has been an honor student for four years and has served as the lead goalkeeper for the girls varsity soccer team. When she graduates, she will also have a welding certification from Kootenai Technical Education Campus.

Acaja said she is feeling grateful for the opportunities she has been given.

“It’s going to take me a lot further in life than I previously could have gone,” she said. “I’m just really grateful for the people who have helped me along the way, especially my mom and my recruiter.”

Jillian said school wasn’t always easy for her, but Lake City gave her numerous avenues to make the most of her schooling. 

"There’s so many more courses and so much more opportunity here," she said.

It's difficult to imagine these already accomplished young ladies came into the world facing an uphill battle. They were born three months early in January 2006, weighing 1 and 2 pounds.

"The first few weeks were touch and go, but they kept fighting," said their mom, Dianna Scott. "I always whispered to them that they had big things to do in this world."

Her middle babies of six, Dianna said her girls are not only smart, driven and successful, but also amazing humans.

"They are kind, thoughtful and give time in our community," she said. "Hands down, these girls are one of a kind and deserve a spotlight moment."

Although their paths are about to diverge, the twins will remain connected and hope to someday come home to North Idaho.

“You better call me,” Acaja said to her sister.

“I will,” Jillian said with a giggle.

Jillian said she'll do her schooling and join up with her sister in Florida.

“As long as you pay for the house, I don’t care,” Acaja said with a grin.

“I’ll probably be living at your house, you’ll have in-state tuition," Jillian said, grinning back.

In a graduating class that will end its high school career much differently than how it began in the fall of 2020 amid a global pandemic, the twins want their classmates to remember as they go out into the world that the grass always appears to be greener on the other side.

“Sometimes it seems like it’s the worst thing that’s going to happen, but it’s never as big of a deal as it seems," Acaja said. “It always works out.”

"In the end it was always fun, it was always something to enjoy,” Jillian said.

    Twin sisters Jillian Scott, left, and Acaja Scott reflect Friday on their time at Lake City High School, their close friendship and their post-graduation plans.