Nationwide — Carissa and Aissa Swope, African American twin sisters from DeKalb County, Georgia, have earned the highest two honors in Stephenson Excessive Faculty’s Class of 2025. Carissa was named valedictorian, whereas Aissa secured the salutatorian spot.The 17-year-old sisters have all the time pushed one another to succeed. Their sturdy bond and quiet competitors helped them keep targeted on lecturers all through highschool. “We’ve all the time been aggressive, so it has been a race to the highest, however not one and two, simply the highest 10 p.c of the category,” Carissa advised 11Alive. “Now, I get to face subsequent to my sister, and we each get to offer speeches. It’s a blessing and I’m actually excited.”
Their success is particularly significant due to the additional obligations they carried at residence. As daughters of deaf dad and mom, the twins usually served as interpreters throughout parent-teacher conferences and different necessary faculty occasions.
“It’s been a protracted journey,” Aissa shared. “We’ve all the time needed to indicate people who we are able to do issues or that we’re sensible, and I really feel like individuals might need underestimated us as a result of perhaps it’s as a result of our dad and mom are (deaf). It’s simply good to get that recognition, for positive.”
Even when issues obtained robust, the sisters stayed motivated by pushing one another. Aissa admitted she won’t have made it to salutatorian with out Carissa encouraging her to maintain going, particularly when schoolwork felt overwhelming. Aissa stated, “She’s undoubtedly been my greatest motivator.” Carissa was touched by the remark, saying Aissa has all the time been her motivator too.
In elementary faculty, their dad and mom stored them in numerous courses to keep away from an excessive amount of competitors. However in highschool, the twins selected to take the identical courses and maintained straight A’s aspect by aspect.
Subsequent, the sisters will quickly attend Emory College. Carissa plans to review neuroscience and behavioral biology, aiming to change into a household drugs physician and make healthcare extra accessible for individuals like her dad and mom. Aissa will main in biology with plans to change into an anesthesiologist.
Wherever they go, the Swope sisters will proceed to assist one another. “When there’s a problem or our life is troublesome, we are able to all the time cry it out collectively and get via it collectively,” Carissa stated.
