A set of twins from Texas were respectively named the valedictorian and salutatorian of their graduating high school class after spending the last four years vying for the lofty academic titles.
According to Good Morning America , sisters Judith and Janette Briseño, both 17, finished their secondary school educations at the top of their class, with only one one-hundredth of a point separating their impressive GPA.
Although often academic rivals, these two sisters say they share an incredibly tight bond in and out of the classroom.
“We are very close,” Judith told GMA . “We would compete with one another, but it was healthy and friendly.”
At the end of their senior year, she finished with a 3.95 GPA while Janette achieved a 3.94. Those numbers are firm; it’s their age gap that’s still up for debate.
“The doctor said one minute, but the birth certificate says two,” Judith explained.
The twins’ high school career was filled with plenty of advanced classes and extracurricular activities, all culminating in their prestigious academic titles.
Both Judith and Janette participated in the same clubs and classes, including junior ROTC, National Honor Society, National Spanish Honor Society, calculus club and senior leaders. The sisters also took multiple AP courses.
The pair even told The Dallas Morning News that they often pushed each other, with one often coming out ahead of the other and vice-versa. But they also helped each other, too.
Of course, all that hard work has paid off, as the two were named their class’ valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively.
The significance of these titles certainly isn’t lost on either sister.
“It really doesn’t happen that a val and sal are twins, so we were happy that we were able to accomplish that,” Janette told GMA . “There’s no bitterness — I’m just happy to be up there with [Judith].”
Mesquite High School Principal Gerald Sarpy added, “They’re great representatives for our campus and of hard workers taking advantage of opportunities.”
Of course, the road to this moment wasn’t without his hurdles and hardships, particularly since both Judith and Janette are undocumented immigrants.
“Our family moved to the U.S. when we were 2 years old, so we’ve been here all our life, right? But unfortunately, some things have just been harder, especially for scholarships and financial aid,” Judith told Morning News . “Even though we’ve had such good achievements, 90% or more of scholarships require a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, and because we just don’t even have any status, it’s been hard.”
She added, “All of my friends in high school around the same time, they were getting a job, getting their driver’s license, and we just could never do that.”
Both girls are now pursuing their U.S. citizenships.
As for a message to any other undocumented students, such as themselves, Judith told GMA ,
“For anybody else in my situation or any Hispanic students or minority, if they feel something is challenging them, they shouldn’t give up. While there aren’t many opportunities for me, there are still some.”
Janette added, “Put in hard work. It will pay off, and you will be rewarded.”
It’s certainly inspiring to see two young, incredibly intelligent women succeed without letting anything get in the way of that success.
“They really [grew],” Princiap Sarpy said of the twins. “We are so proud of all the obstacles they’ve overcome and very proud they represent Skeeter Nation.”
Both Briseño sisters will be attending Texas A&M University this fall to study chemistry with the hopes of pursuing careers in medicine.
