Twin valedictorians in Massachusetts graduate from same school with 4.0 GPAs

University of Dallas President Jonathan Sanford and Liberty University VP of Communications Ryan Helfenbein discuss what to look for when choosing which college to attend.

Twin sisters Alina and Anastasia Antropova started off in the world together — and now they have another achievement attached to their names. They’re both community college graduates with valedictorian honors.

The 19-year-old twin sisters graduated from Holyoke Community College, a two-year public institution in Holyoke, Massachusetts, on Saturday, June 4.

Both sisters maintained a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their enrollment while juggling a startling amount of extracurricular activities, scholarship applications and competitions.

VIRGINIA DAD, A VETERAN, GRADUATES FROM COLLEGE ALONGSIDE HIS DAUGHTER

Alina studied English and was an active member of the HCC Creative Writing Club. She served as an editor of the school’s art and literary magazine, Pulp City. 

In 2021, Alina Antropova earned first place in the HCC Library’s BUILD Research Competition. She submitted a four-part paper from her intermediate Spanish 201 class titled "Building Up the Bildungsroman: Exploring the Connections in the Magical, Diasporic, Caribbean, Female Coming-of-age Novel." 

Sisters Alina and Anastasia Antropova, 19, tried on their graduation caps and gowns together at the Holyoke Community College Campus Center.  (Alina Antropova)

The theoretical paper explored how the literary genre should be viewed as a revolutionary art form that has "feminist" and "decolonial" roots. 

Alina cited Naomi Jackson’s novel "The Star Side of Bird Hill" to argue her findings. Her work earned her a weekend trip to NYC, where the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society awarded her a New Century Transfer