DOUBLE TROUBLE

Identical Twin Brothers Named Valedictorian, Salutatorian at Ohio High School

The brothers credit their academic success to a friendly sibling rivalry.

Identical twin brothers have been named both valedictorian and salutatorian at their Toledo, Ohio, high school. The twins, Deontae and Deontre Wright, credit their academic success to a friendly sibling rivalry. “Our biggest thing is competing against each other,” Deontre said. “We ended up having a competition all throughout high school to see who would do better.” The competition worked. Both twins will be attending Ohio State University in Columbus in the fall on full electrical engineering scholarships. Their mother, Victoria Lampkin, says her son's determination was all their own. Lampkin said she and her husband purposefully gave the twins autonomy to make their own decisions. “I didn't tell them to not do anything. It was up to them, because this is their life,” she said. “That's another reason they got this far.”

The ambitious duo already have post-college plans. The twins say they hope to return to Toledo after graduating college, and start their own engineering firm to help revitalize the city. “There are a lot of abandoned homes in the area,” Deontae said. “We will renovate the area and help train local students who are interested in learning as much as possible.”