Twin Torero Experience: Ashton and Kalin Padberg
The transition to college is an exciting time in any young adult’s life. However, with that excitement comes apprehension. The unfamiliar places, subjects, and people that a new student might meet appear daunting. However, for some Toreros, that journey was made with a familiar face — their twin. In the summer of 2012, 10 sets of twins committed to the University of San Diego — nine stayed at USD past their first year. Over the next few months, USD News Center is featuring these the twins’ stories, highlighting their shared experiences as well as who they are as individuals, giving them a chance to look back on the journey and contemplate what’s next.
For Ashton and Kalin Padberg, life is a marathon. As a part of the University of San Diego women’s cross-country team, these Thousand Oaks, Calif., natives are not only proving themselves on the race course, they are also making themselves known around campus.
Coming to USD in Fall 2012, these sisters were one of 10 sets of first-year student twins on campus. Looking at them, you’d know they were twins; however, they are the first to stress their individuality.
“Yes, we are two girls on the cross-country team with curly hair [who] happen to spend a majority of our time together,” Kalin says. “But we are also individuals who look different and [who] are different.”
Coming to USD
Although close, Ashton and Kalin did not plan on going to the same college. Growing up together and sharing many of the same interests, they saw college as a chance to grow on their own, and planned to attend different schools.
“We figured college was the perfect chance to separate our lives and figure out [things] on our own,” Ashton says. “But after a while I started to realize the only reason she wasn’t committing to USD was because I already had. I did not want to be the only reason she didn’t get to go to school where she wanted to go, so after we talked about it, she decided to come as well. We have never regretted that decision.”
For the sisters, USD stood out because of its location, the cross-country team, and the sense of community.
“I walked on to campus and I knew I couldn’t settle [for] anywhere else,” says Kalin.
The College Years
Coming to USD three weeks before freshman year for cross country training, Ashton and Kalin had a chance to adjust to their new college life before classes began, even getting used to the inquisitive looks and questions.
“We [got] a lot of twin questions and people trying to figure out how to tell us apart. That’s what happens any time we go somewhere new,” says Kalin.
For their first year, the sisters requested separate rooms, figuring it would allow for some independence and separation. However, as it would turn out, the two ended up being next-door neighbors. “I can’t escape her, even if I try,” Ashton jokes.
During their sophomore year, the sisters took part in the USD semester study abroad program, traveling to Madrid. Exploring Spain together, both sisters emphasize that this experience was the most memorable part of their college career together.
“It was so nice to have a travel partner who wanted to see places just like I did,” says Kalin. “We basically spent five months wandering [through] different cities every weekend and just enjoying having no plan or anything we had to do. I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
During their junior year, both girls settled back into campus life, continuing to be active on the cross-country team. For these sisters, running for USD was one of the best decisions they made. It helped them form close relationships with their teammates and provided the motivation to do well and succeed. Even competing against one another wasn’t a hurdle for these two.
“How we do the cross-country team has been the same as how we do life in general. If we were competitive in everything that we did, then our lives would be an intense competition because they are very similar,” says Ashton. “I think we both make sure we hold each other to high standards so that we can achieve … [and] I enjoy running with her.”
Looking Ahead
Now in their senior year, these international business majors are looking forward to what is next. For Ashton, that means continuing to work with Restore International, a San Diego nonprofit that focuses on the promotion of human rights and education. She also plans to travel, hoping to eventually visit Uganda.
For Kalin, although she is unsure of what she wants to do directly after graduation, she is looking forward to where the next few months will take her. “I want to travel right after graduation for a little while at least. That is my only definitive plan as of right now,” she says. “I want to travel and hopefully in that time, kind of figure it out. Being twenty is all about figuring it out along the way.”
But, according to both sisters, whether they end up going in the same direction or not, they are willing to wait and see.
“Like I say at every decision point when we have the opportunity to go our separate ways, I think it might be time for us to try doing something on our own,” Kalin admits. “But, who knows. I want her to be happy and to find a place to live that she enjoys and a job that she loves … As long as those things are true, then I know that we will do very well – together or apart.”
— Allyson Meyer '16
Explore this series:
Twin Torero Experience: Katelyn and Michelle McSkane
Twin Torero Experience: Melissa and Michelle Stencil
Twin Torero Experience: Malina and Maya Hood
Twin Torero Experience: Ashton and Kalin Padberg
Twin Torero Experience: Aaron and Jared McCarthy