Photo Courtesy of WVTM
Twin sisters, Iman and Imari Anderson from Birmingham, Alabama, recently graduated from Troy University, making their mother, who died in a tragic fire, proud.
Though their mother hasn’t witnessed her daughters’ significant milestones, the twins have continued to pay tribute to her over time through their academic excellence.
In 2017, they graduated at the top of their class at Huffman High School, with Imari as Top 2 and Iman as Top 4.
They both earned a GPA higher than 4.0 and were awarded full-ride scholarships at Troy University.
The girls, who are also small business owners, recently earned their undergraduate degrees in social work at Troy University.
“We did it, mom. We made it,” the twins told WVTM13.
According to CBS 42, a year after their mother’s death, the Iman was awarded a scholarship honoring her mom.
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The twins say even in death, their mother has continued to be a powerful influence in their lives.
“Dead or alive, I hear that voice. You know that motivation, that push me even when I feel like giving up or even when I feel like the road’s getting too hard,” said Imari Anderson.
Following the death of their mom, the girls used their “friends as shoulders to lean on and the school to help them get through it.”
They reached out to us like … we were at the gas station, and it was like a whole bunch of Huffman teachers and staff, like, they showed up out of nowhere … And they were there,” said Iman Anderson. “They’re our second family,” added Imari.
After submitting an essay about her mother, Imari received a Smith Scholarship Award, and her sister Iman was presented with a scholarship in honor of Xaveria Anderson.
“When she called my name and when she read what it was about. And it was based off the story of my mother, that just, ooh, that made me so happy that they thought of her enough to make a scholarship made out, you know, dedicated to her,” said Iman.