Family Traits

Twin biology majors hope to follow in the footsteps of their mother, a Regis alumna and physician

When Isabella and Katelyn De Leon look at each other, it's as if they're looking into a mirror. Literally. That's because, officially, they're what's known as mirror twins. Although they're considered identical twins — so much so that their professors and acquaintances have a hard time telling them apart — they're different in key ways. For example, as children, when one twin's molars started growing in on the left side, her sister's grew in at the same time — on the right. In some ways, it's as if they're living in parallel universes.

Isabella and Katelyn — Bella and Katie to their friends and family — both graduated in May with degrees in biology. They took every course together and they participated in most of the same activities, including the Regis Honors Program. And now the new Regis grads are both applying to medical school, following in the footsteps of their mom, Luz Maria Jimenez, a 1992 Regis alumna and pediatrician.

But don't let that fool you. The sisters are not the same. Even though they have gravitated toward the same careers they arrived at them for different reasons. Katie decided, for instance, that she wanted to study biology in seventh grade, when her science class learned about genetics and took care of a fish tank at school. Bella, on the other hand, was drawn to biology because of her love for all things slimy and slithery.

In elementary and middle school, Bella would visit a creek in their backyard and investigate frogs and snakes, "showing them to Katie, which really freaked her out," Bella said. "My mom too. They're very freaked out about my passion."

Katie was firm in her decision to pursue a career in medicine and follow in the footsteps of her mom by becoming a pediatrician. Bella wasn't thinking about studying biology precisely because she wanted to be different from her mom and sister. But when the family took a trip to Belize — and snorkeled with sharks — Bella quickly changed her mind. She was fascinated by the creatures, and while her mom and sister were afraid of the sharks, Bella couldn't wait to learn more about them and other lifeforms.

It's a story that illustrates so much of the sisters' paths to and from each other. As children, Katie loved dressing head to toe in pink and doing gymnastics and cheer. Bella loved shoes that could make her run faster and playing basketball and softball. But as much as the sisters tried to be different, their paths always converged.

"I think as twins, too, there's an urge to separate yourselves. I feel like you need to almost prove to people you're different," Bella said. "I've kind of, over the years, pushed myself away from that idea and just encouraged myself to be me, even if it's a little similar to Katie."

Jimenez, the twins' mom, said while her daughters have their own interests, they share similar values.

"I've always encouraged and celebrated their differences, but they're also very similar in their school ethics, and their outlook in life and how driven they are," she said.

"They really do support each other. They're each other's true best friends, which is amazing."

When it came to choosing a college, Regis rose to the top of the sisters' list. Their mom graduated from the University and often spoke of her ex- periences. As a first-generation college student, Jimenez, who was born in Mexico, found support from her faculty members and peers. While she didn't push her daughters to attend the University, she said she was excited when they chose her alma mater, especially as they were entering college during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I wanted them to have the best college experience, and I knew Regis was more than capable of offering that," Jimenez said. "I went through as a first-generation student. My parents were super supportive, but really didn't know how to guide me because we were immigrants from Mexico … [Regis] was the only school that really embraced me and said, ‘you can absolutely do this.'"

After a lifetime at each other's side, Katie, left, and Bella, are open to following different paths post-graduation. The sisters said they're open to moving to different states.

When the twins had a chance to visit, Regis left a strong first impression. And because the twins were raised by a single mom, they were looking for an affordable place to study. They found that Regis offered the best financial incentives.

"We came for a tour and the tour guide was so nice and so kind," Katie said. "And it just it felt like the right fit when we were here."

In addition, the sisters knew they wanted to go to college together, especially as they enrolled as freshmen in fall 2020. While it was hard to make friends as everyone quarantined, the sisters had each other. As COVID restrictions eased, and classes were moved from online to on campus, the duo made plenty of friends — even though their peers struggled with telling them apart at first. When friends see Katie on campus and call her Bella, she just rolls with it — and vice versa.

"We kind of have this unwritten rule where if someone calls you the wrong name, you just smile and wave," Bella said.

Bella and Katie said they leaned on each other through tough times in college.

"Katie was my best study buddy. So, when I didn't understand something, Katie could explain it to me and when she didn't understand something, usually I had it," Bella said.

"I think always having Bella there to study with me was so helpful," Katie said.

Now that Bella and Katie are looking toward medical school, their specialties are beginning to diverge. Katie, who discovered a passion for working with patients hands-on, found she wants to work directly with patients.

At Regis, both sisters had the opportunity to shadow health professionals in a pediatric emergency room, a cardiologist's clinic, a bone fracture clinic and more. Katie had an internship with the University of Colorado School of Medicine's Children's Eating Lab.

"That connection that you get to have one-on-one with patients is really cool," Katie said. "You don't get that with bacteria or rats."

Bella said she is interested in working with infectious diseases or in an emergency room setting. She signed up to do an Emergency Medical Technician program over the summer.

"When I started learning about diseases and parasites, that diagnostic process, it really reminded me of Scooby Doo, and getting like the clues and forming your own conclusion," Bella said.

As their time at Regis ended, the De Leon sisters said some of their most memorable experiences involved taking part in the Guatemala Interfaith Service Project, which assists Guatemalan health care workers with caring for patients in the town of Cobán. Throughout the experience, Katie said she learned the importance of empowering communities to empower themselves. Additionally, the sisters were co-presidents of the Student

Honors Advisory Council and both took part in the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Club. Katie also participated in the Regis spirit team.

The twins said they'd love to go to medical school together — or even live in the same state so that they can be roommates. But they're also open to separating from each other.

"I like to call Katie my ‘wombmate' because we shared the womb," Bella said. Katie added with a laugh: "But I hate that term, personally."

"I think we're definitely prepared to separate and go our own ways," Bella said. Katie added: "But we're hoping to stay together."