Sister, Sister! It’s double the smarts for a twin duo who were just named 2023 co-valedictorians of Madison High School in Illinois.
For the first time in the history of the district, two people have won the top accolade: twin sisters Ariana and Briana Straughter.
Accomplishing this feat together was always their end goal. Ariana, the eldest by a mere minute said, “We have encouraged each other continuously, we have studied together, made sure our projects were good together, and we have always received feedback from our teachers.”
Their determination certainly paid off, and the two delivered a commencement address at graduation. Briana told their classmates “to never give up and strive for greatness.”
The twins’ grandfather Jerry Straughter was proud of their hard work, telling local news outlet Fox 2, “They were normal, but everybody is normal until given the opportunity to be something different,” adding “They had the opportunity, they just had to recognize it and, luckily, they did recognize it, and hopefully we were a catalyst and the entire family.”
Madison Jr. High School principal Terrien Fennoy paid tribute to the twins’ incredible focus, stating “They never let the outside noise get in the way of their business in the classroom.” “They were always polite and always helped in the classroom, they even checked on me. So, they deserve this honor. They worked hard,” said Fennoy.
The twins are planning to attend Southern Illinois University in the fall, and both have been awarded full-ride scholarships. Ariana plans to be a nursing major, and Briana will focus her studies on arts education.