DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Carissa and Aissa Swope, twin sisters from Stephenson High School, have always pushed each other to be their best. That determination paid off in a big way this year, as the pair earned the top two spots in the school’s 2025 graduating class.

Carissa was named valedictorian, narrowly surpassing her twin sister Aissa — who is older by just four minutes — who earned the title of salutatorian.

“We’ve always been competitive, so it has been a race to the top, but not one and two, just the top 10 percent of the class,” Carissa said in a statement provided by the DeKalb County School District. “Now, I get to stand next to my sister, and we both get to give speeches. It’s a blessing and I’m really excited.”

Their path to the top wasn’t easy. The 17-year-old twins are the daughters of deaf parents, and they often took on the responsibility of interpreting during parent-teacher conferences and other key moments when an interpreter wasn’t available.

“It’s just been a long journey,” Aissa said. “We’ve always wanted to show people that we can do things or that we’re smart, and I feel like people might have underestimated us because maybe it’s because our parents are (deaf). It’s just nice to get that recognition, for sure.”

Despite their added responsibilities at home, the twins never lost sight of their academic goals. They found motivation in one another, sometimes even when they didn’t realize it.

“If I didn’t have her as a twin, I probably would not be salutatorian,” Aissa admitted. “When I didn’t want to do an assignment, [Carissa] would look at me crazy and say, ‘What do you mean? You need to do this assignment.’ I’d be like, ‘OK, fine.’ So, she’s definitely been my biggest motivator, even if sometimes she doesn’t want to help me.”

Carissa was surprised by that admission. “I didn’t even know she felt like that, because she’s always been my motivator too,” she said.

Their parents, knowing how competitive the girls were, kept them in separate classes in elementary school. But as they got older, the twins chose to take the same courses, challenging each other to maintain straight A’s.

Now, the sisters are headed to Emory University. Carissa plans to study neuroscience and behavioral biology in hopes of becoming a family medicine physician, inspired by the challenges her parents faced navigating the healthcare system.

“I’ve always wanted to open up my practice and have it be accessible, because my parents would be left waiting at doctor appointments or not have an interpreter,” Carissa explained. 

Aissa plans to major in biology and pursue a career as an anesthesiologist.

No matter where their paths lead, one thing is certain: the Swope sisters will continue to uplift and support each other.

“When there’s a challenge or our life is difficult, we can always cry it out together and get through it together,” Carissa said.

“There’s always someone to bounce ideas off of and see the right option, the right path for us,” Aissa added.