Meet Llayna and Saniah Maul: Twins with unique passions are Godby valedictorian, salutatorian
Llayna and Saniah Maul, 17, are identical twins, but under the surface, they are totally different.
Saniah is drawn to pinks and bright colors. Llayna loves darker hues like black.
Llayna enjoys writing creative stories about gothic horror. Saniah has a passion for fashion.
Their personalities differ but they both share a love for learning.
On May 22, the twins will graduate from Amos P. Godby High School with Llayna as valedictorian, the top-ranked student in a class, and Saniah as salutatorian, the student who ranks second highest.
"We are very intrinsically motivated," Saniah said. "A lot of people think the work I put in is for grades or the accolades but it's not. My passion for learning drives me, I just want to do the best that I can."
"I don't work for the grades, they just come on their own."
After starting high school in 2020 remotely through the Florida Virtual School, the twins transferred to Godby High in 2022 and began taking dual enrollment classes at Tallahassee Community College.
At Godby, they excelled in their academic classes and joined extracurriculars, like the theater club, and were inducted into the National Honor Society.
Their most recent joint achievement was performing at the Florida Thespian Festival in Tampa with Godby's theater troupe in the school's one-act show "Rumpelstiltskin," which won several awards.
"They are amazing individuals and creative. They are both very different even though they're twins and they're very hardworking. I am going to miss them both very much," said Randi Lundgren, Godby's theater teacher.
Their parents, James and Annie Leonard, said they got an early start on educating their girls, often playing music and reading to them while they were still in cribs.
"This isn't a surprise, because in our house the importance of family and education has always been a priority. I believe the foundation to a good education is an early start," said Annie Leonard, her husband sitting next to her.
"They really like being challenged, in a good way, of course, and I like that. They don't settle," said James Leonard, a grocery employee. "They try to learn as much as they can."
The parents, who also have two adult sons, see their daughters as an inspiration. That is why Annie, a stay-at-home mom, who also graduated from Godby High, has decided to pursue a career in teaching. She's taking classes online with Western Governor's University.
"The way they learn has inspired me to become a teacher, because I feel like the stuff I did with them when they were smaller kind of fueled their love for learning and I just want to bounce that off some more kids," she said.
The twins expressed gratitude to their parents for instilling within them an understanding that a free public education is a privilege.
"People really spend their whole lives working for things that we can learn for free, especially people from our demographic who were once barred from having access to education, so why not take advantage of it," Llayna said.
The twins are both nominated for Leon County's Best and Brightest class of 2024, with Saniah in the arts category, and Llayna in the English language arts category. Winners will be announced May 15 during a ceremony at the Ruby Diamond Concert Hall.
Saniah Maul: The 'bubbly' one
Her parents call her their "bubbly baby," full of energy and contagious joy.
Saniah plans to start at Florida A&M University in the fall as a junior majoring in Animal Science Industry. She says she wants to be a wildlife veterinarian and, later on, a science teacher.
"I like zoology, really. Animals are just so different and I love them," Saniah said.
According to her mother, Saniah is a "doer," meaning if she has a desire to do something, she executes it immediately, no planning necessary.
She holds two Advanced Placement Scholar Awards and a community service award from Godby High.
Llayna Maul: The meticulous writer
Llayna likes structure and, before she does anything, she makes a plan which is why she hasn't decided which university she'll attend, but she knows she wants to major in psychology.
"I'm still weighing all my options," she said. "I think that learning about the science of why people do the things that they do is really interesting."
Llayna enjoys reading and writing gothic and horror stories, and as president of TCC's creative writing club, she focuses her entries on those themes. She is a recipient of the Yale Book Award, which is given to students who excel in English language arts and literature.
Their parents said they support their girls no matter what, and they know brighter things await them in the future.
"I am going to support my kids in whatever they want to do, wherever they want to go, wherever they feel like they can learn the most, because I know that learning is their first priority," James Leonard said.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ABrown1@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Godby High twins Llayna and Saniah lead 2024 graduating class
