Twin sisters Carissa and Aissa Swope, who attended Stephenson High School, have always encouraged each other to strive for excellence because their road to the top wasn’t smooth. Now, they have earned the top two spots of the school’s graduating class for 2025.
Aissa, just four minutes older than Carissa, was chosen salutatorian as Carissa narrowly beat her to become valedictorian.
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“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.”
As daughters of deaf parents, the 17-year-old twins frequently took on the role of translator during parent-teacher conferences and other crucial situations when an interpreter was unavailable.
“It’s just been a long journey,” Aissa explained. “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.”
Even with their additional household duties, the twins never lost sight of their educational ambitions. Sometimes, they were even unaware of the inspiration they were giving each other.
“If I didn’t have her as a twin, I probably would not be salutatorian,” Aissa said. “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.”
That admission caught Carissa off guard. “I didn’t even know she felt like that, because she’s always been my motivator too,” she replied.
In elementary school, their parents kept the girls in different classes since they were aware of how competitive they were. As they grew older, however, the twins decided to choose the same courses, pushing one another to keep their grades at A’s.
The sisters are currently on their way to Emory University. Inspired by her parents’ struggles navigating the healthcare system, Carissa intends to pursue a career in family medicine by studying behavioral biology and neuroscience.
“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 also hopes to specialize in biology and work as an anesthesiologist.
Looking ahead, the Swope sisters said they will continue to encourage and support one another.
“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.
