Photo Courtesy of The Morning Call
Teen identical twins in Pennsylvania are proudly headed their way to Harvard University, the world’s most prestigious institution.
According to The Morning Call, 17-year-old athletic twins Gianna and Tianna Tout-Puissant recently graduated from Moravian Academy in Bethelem. They will attend Harvard this fall with their dream of joining the school’s Division I basketball team and their end goal of becoming surgeons.
“To see them and how they’ve blossomed into the young women they are today, it’s like they’re miracle babies,” their mother, Leah Tout-Puissant, said.
Speaking with the outlet, the Tout-Puissant sisters described their acceptance into the institution with a 4% acceptance rate as “surreal,” adding they were ecstatic to be among a sea of “hardworking and out-of-the-box thinkers.”
This isn’t the first time they’ve defeated the odds. Both suffered severe health issues as infants due to being born over two months prematurely. Now, the two are healthy athletes and, soon, ivy leaguers.
Gianna and Tianna discovered their acceptance in December at the same time.
“We logged into our application portals at the exact same time, and then we read, ‘Congratulations,’ on each other’s screens, and then we just started all screaming,” Gianna explained. “My mom was crying. It was crazy.”
But the path the girls took to this recent success was challenging. According to their chemistry teacher, Cole Wisdo, the girls worked hard throughout their senior year, excelling in their chemistry classes.
The two ensured they took advantage of office hours (which will be helpful in college), taking detailed notes and having late-night study sessions.
“I think a lot of their peers thought it was just natural for them,” Wisdo said. “But I have the real pleasure of seeing just how crazy hard they were working at it.”
But it wasn’t just their studies they worked hard in. The twins were teammates on the school’s varsity basketball team for four years, putting in hours of practice to improve their skills.
Gianna played as a shooting guard and small forward, and Tianna played as a point guard.
Gianna and Tianna plan to major in chemistry at Harvard during their pre-med years before attending medical school.
Gianna wants to become either a cardiothoracic surgeon or a neurosurgeon, while Tianna knows she wants to be a neurosurgeon.
“I just think that’s amazing how different parts of the brain literally impact your personality,” Tianna said.
Gianna and Tianna have done everything together for years, from studying and practicing to sleeping in the same room. They see each other as sisters and as best friends with different personalities that complement each other.
“I know this sounds cheesy, but we’re very yin and yang,” Tianna explained. “She says this crazy idea, and then I’m like, ‘OK, let’s think about the pros and cons of this before we do it.’ And then she gets me to step out of my comfort zone.”
Gianna called it a “dream come true” to attend the same prestigious college with her sister and best friend.