Two sisters are making history at their Long Island, New York high school.
Their hard work has made them the school’s first twins to sweep the valedictorian and salutatorian honors and also the first to both be admitted to Yale University.
The student-athletes are not only top-notch scholars but all-state varsity letter-women in track and field, receiving high praise from teachers, administration, and their parents.
Gloria and Victoria, the Guerrier twins are first and second in their classes respectively. They are set to graduate from West Hempstead Secondary School this June, according to ABC 7. Now, the two have been accepted into the fourth-oldest American university and will be studying artificial intelligence. They have also earned spots on the Ivy League school’s track team.
Newsday reports Gloria has a 105.3 grade-point average, and her sister Victoria is graduating with a 104.9.
The two have pushed each other to the top of their class, looking at each other as support systems and also at each other as their most fierce competition.
“Being competitive as twins, we push each other,” Victoria said.
Their mother said they were even competing against each other in the womb but assumed other roles in each other’s lives. She said they are each other’s support systems, and in some cases make sure neither twin falls behind in subjects the other is not as strong in.
“Subjects like AP physics. I’m always over there over her shoulder helping her, and maybe in English, she gives me a hand,” Gloria shared as Victoria added, “In essay writing, I think I’m the better writer.”
Outside of being outstanding scholars and athletes, the two teens are hard-working and sacrifice a lot of their free time to help lighten the load of their family: mother, father and three other sisters.
At the age of 11, they both went and got part-time jobs to help the family after their father became disabled in 2016.
“Growing up with immigrant parents from Haiti, I had a strong incentive to work really hard, to not waste the opportunity that they gave me,” Victoria explained.
Part of this discipline to be a hard worker is time management and keeping positive, even when things overwhelm them.
Gloria said, “I just keep myself in a positive space. I just keep grinding out what I need to do.”
This doesn’t mean they don’t get overwhelmed. Victoria shared that at some point in 2021, she got overwhelmed with school. She had to create a system to achieve her goals.
“I was like studying for SATs and APs, and it just got so overwhelming,” Victoria said. “But I told myself just take it one minute at a time, I almost planned out every minute last year.”
Many who have had the opportunity to spend time with the girls agree that they are an inspiration.
Track coach Jackie Zorskas says she is impressed by the girls every day.
According to the school’s website, “Victoria finished her winter season [2022] with All-Conference honors, Nassau County Class C Champion, earned All-State honors and finished sixth overall in New York State for the 600m dash.”
It also mentioned the young scholar was highlighted last year in the Newsday newspaper “as one of Long Island’s Top 25 girls in Track & Field.”
“Gloria had an equally noteworthy season as she earned All-County honors for the 600m dash… [and also] competed at New York State Championship as a member of Nassau County’s intersectional relay team, where she earned All-Federation honors,” the report continued.
Zorskas, who is also the school counselor, said, “It’s rare that you come across not only one student like them but two students like them.”
The principal of the school, Joe Pumo, said the twins are also “genuinely kind-hearted people.” The administrator added, “they are musicians, they work, they have jobs, they’re able to manage their time.”
The Yale-bound Guerrier sisters are not only leaving a legacy of scholarship and athletic prowess. They are also leaving a financial impression on the school’s science department.
The nationally recognized researchers authored a research project that won their school’s science department $15,000 and FDA approval. The money will go to help students at the school coming up behind them.
