WHILE searching for internships to satisfy a final-year Northern Caribbean University (NCU) requirement, twin sisters Rasheen and Roscene Nangle got some prophetic words from a close advisor: one of them would work at King’s House and the other at the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM).

The 24-year-old identical twins said they joked about it and casually brushed the idea aside, but three years later they both occupy roles in the two Government offices — Rasheen as an information officer at OPM and Roscene as a public relations officer at King’s House, the governor general’s office.

The twins shared that, initially, they’d been pursuing degrees in psychology at NCU but switched programmes when they learnt they’d need more advanced education in order to practise.

“We took the brave step of signing up to do communication studies, and that was January of 2019; this was our first year, second semester at NCU. Then the [question] came… [about] our emphasis, because we had television, radio journalism, and public relations, and we had experience in all three,” Rasheen explained to the Jamaica Observer.

They decided to focus on public relations.

“I guess because of our personalities, and not only that but because of our passion, just to be out there and just to have an impact in whatever way we can, we really transitioned easily in the Department of Communication Studies,” Roscene said.

“Some persons thought that, ‘Oh, it’s a twin thing,’ or we are influencing each other’s decision, but what they don’t know is that it just happens that we have the same passions,” she told the Sunday Observer.

The twins shared that they do everything together — from attending the same schools, pursuing the same majors and extra-curricular activities, and even having the same timetables during university.

While a career helping people is a shared passion, Roscene said at no point did they think their first “big girl” jobs would be at two of the highest offices of the land. This was predicted by Ruel Haye, former president of the United Student Movement at the NCU, of which they were both members.

“I was having a discussion with him and it just happened that I was telling him, ‘If you know any places that are looking for interns, let me know,’ and he was like, ‘Unuh a star. Right now, I see you at the governor general’s office and I see Rasheen at the prime minister’s office.’ We were making a whole joke about it,’ ” Roscene recounted, laughing. “We were not taking it seriously, and I was like, ‘Ruel, you are putting your basket too high, that is way far-fetched.’ ”

She said, throughout their academic journey, they were always “on the ball”.

“Academically, we were on top; extra-curricular activities, we were on top. So it wasn’t really far-fetched, but I was not looking at that to say working in the highest office in the land and working with the prime minister, I just didn’t see that happening and we were laughing about it,” Roscene added.

However, Haye encouraged them to submit their résumés, which they did on blind faith.

By the summer of 2022, Roscene was notified that she could start working at the governor general’s office and while Rasheen was yet to receive confirmation from the OPM, they both moved to Kingston from Mandeville, Manchester. A few days later, Rasheen’s confirmation came.

They went back to Mandeville to finish university after completing their internships, but with offers from both OPM and King’s House for them to return — Rasheen in a full-time position at OPM when she was awarded her undergraduate degree, and Roscene for an extended internship that developed into a full-time position after she completed her master’s degree in business and corporate communications.

Due to the proximity of Jamaica House and King’s House, which are neighbouring properties, the twins have had countless humorous interactions with colleagues in both offices who do not know they are twins. This, they said, is partly due to Roscene starting her full-time position a few months after Rasheen.

“There would be times I am walking on the compound and a police officer will stop me and say, ‘Hey, didn’t I just see you over King’s House?’ and I would be like, ‘No.’ Roscene gets that all the time as well, and there will be a lot of events where the prime minister and the governor general are both in attendance and sometimes when people see us, they would be like, ‘Oh my gosh, I didn’t know that you had a twin,’ ” Rasheen recalled laughing.

The most recent mix-up occurred during the swearing-in ceremony for former Ambassador to the US Audrey Marks as minister without portfolio in the OPM with responsibility for efficiency, innovation, and digital transformation, and Delano Seiveright, the new minister of state in the Ministry of Tourism. Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Governor General Sir Patrick Allen were both in attendance.

“A gentleman just walked up to me and was having a casual conversation. He was like, ‘Hey, how you doing?’ and I’m just there casually answering… and he said, ‘So how are things with’ and he called one of Rasheen’s colleagues’ name, and then I was like, ‘Hold on, I think you’re speaking with the wrong person,’ and he looked at me confused,” Roscene shared laughing.

They also shared another instance that was particularly humorous, when they both attended a church service at which the prime minister was present.

“While he was walking down the aisle, he was looking at us and he was like, ‘Wait, why am I seeing two of you?’ ” Rasheen recalled as they both laughed.

Though a career with government entities was not one they’d envisioned, the devout Adventists said their lives are a testimony of what happens when people walk by faith and trust in God.

Born 45 minutes apart, they shared their birth story as a moment of spiritual warfare and a testimony of the power of God and prayer.

Dubbed the “Miracle twins” at Mandeville Regional Hospital, they told the Sunday Observer that their mother had a rough pregnancy and was told by her doctor that they could only save her or the babies.

“While she [their mother] was on her bed, she saw a black [figure] by her bedside, and on the other side [she saw] a white [figure]. The black thing was discouraging her, saying, ‘You’re not gonna have your babies, your babies are going to die and you are going to die as well,’ and the white thing on the other side was just encouraging her,” Roscene recounted.

She added that, inside the delivery room, the doctors also fainted, seemingly after witnessing the “black figure”, and other doctors had to be called in to replace them.

Roscene shared that she was stuck in her mother’s womb with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, and the doctors, after minutes of trying to deliver her, declared her dead. They were able to deliver Rasheen, but, due to a lack of oxygen, she was blue.

“I don’t know if it was my father who called, but they called up the church, and everybody stopped what they were doing and started praying. Some of the persons even left the church and came to the hospital,” she said.

The doctors were able to save both babies and their mother.

“It was a big celebration at Mandeville [Regional] Hospital. Even when my parents were leaving, everyone was clapping and saying, ‘Miracle twins! Miracle twins!’” Roscene shared.

Rasheen added that these and other experiences in their lives have proved that they are destined for greatness and God has a higher purpose for their lives.

While they are not sure where the future will take them, they shared that the opportunity to live for God and work in such spaces is a blessing that they will never take for granted.