Alumni Spotlight: Twin Nurses Graduate to Serve in the NICU Where Their Story Began

Justine and Zoey Obert, both 2024 graduates of St. John’s College of Nursing, are not only sisters and best friends—they’re also neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses working side by side at HSHS St. John’s Hospital in Springfield, Illinois, the very hospital where they were born 22 years ago.

Their connection to Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) is more than just academic and professional—it’s deeply personal. Born nine weeks premature and weighing just under three pounds each, the twins spent the early days of their lives in the same NICU where they now care for the most fragile newborns and support their families.

“We’re one of the success stories,” says Justine. “Families find it inspiring to hear we were NICU babies, too. It gives them hope.”

Their path to nursing felt like a natural calling. Raised in a family rooted in service and volunteerism, both sisters gravitated toward caregiving roles early on. As they grew older, the decision to pursue nursing—and to study at St. John’s College of Nursing—was a shared goal.

“We knew from a young age that helping others was what we were meant to do,” Justine says.​

While they originally applied for one open NICU position at St. John’s Hospital, both impressed interviewers so much that the hospital created a second position—allowing them to continue their journey together.

“They’re pretty proud of us,” Zoey says of their parents. “Our dad always says, ‘It’s fitting for you to be where you started.’”

The Oberts’ journey to nursing began even before birth. During their mother Jody’s pregnancy, doctors initially feared her baby had spina bifida. After receiving a blessing from her local parish, Jody and her husband Jeff learned the next day that not only was the baby healthy—she was expecting twins. A diagnosis of preeclampsia soon followed, and Jody was transferred to HSHS St. John’s Hospital, where she delivered early. The experience left a lasting mark on the family.

“I will say St. John’s definitely saved our mom’s life,” Justine says.

Now, Zoey and Justine give back every day, providing care to vulnerable newborns in the same NICU that once cared for them. Their bond as sisters—and now as nurses—is a unique strength in their work. They often coordinate shifts, pack lunches together, and bring both comfort and joy to patients’ families.

“People love that we’re twins,” says Justine. “Sometimes parents even ask us to stand next to each other or help play a little prank on visiting relatives.”

Zoey reflects on the privilege of her role. “It’s incredible to initiate care for a life that’s just beginning—so fragile, but already so full of determination to live.”

Their story is one of full-circle care, of faith, family, and a future shaped at St. John’s College of Nursing—and now lived out at the very place where it all began.