Florida Twins Graduate High School as Valedictorian and Salutatorian

Courtesy Melody Blanton

Twin power!

Last month, fraternal twins Drew and Bailey Blanton graduated from Plant City High School in Plant City, Florida, as the first- and second-ranked students, respectively.

It was a fitting conclusion for the twins, who have gotten straight A's since the third grade.

"It was really, really exciting," Drew, whose 7.84 GPA earned him the title of valedictorian, told Plant City Observer.  "All the hard work paid off. All the dual enrollment classes, honors classes we took. We got what we all wanted to achieve basically."

The twins admitted to a touch of sibling rivalry, but mostly, they pushed each other to succeed.

"We really did have a competition in middle school," Bailey, the class salutatorian with a GPA of 7.56, told the local paper. "Neither one of us wanted to be the worse twin, but when we got to high school, it wasn't really so much a competition anymore. We mostly helped each other out in classes."

Drew and Bailey were also heavily involved in extracurricular pursuits during their time in high school. Drew was senior class president, vice president of National Honor Society, and president of their school's FFA chapter. Bailey, a volleyball star, was president of National Honor Society, senior class vice president, and FFA vice president.

Thanks to their dual enrollment classes, both Drew and Bailey also earned associate degrees from Hillsborough Community College.

Courtesy Melody Blanton

They both plan to attend the University of Florida in the fall. Drew will pursue a degree in environmental science, and Bailey will pursue a degree in business/finance.

"Without Bailey, I wouldn't have been as determined or as successful," Drew told Southern Living. "It's awesome to have a built-in best friend."

Congrats, y'all!