Alberto and Steven Torres graduated from Connecticut's Notre Dame High School as valedictorian and salutatorian, respectively
Credit: John Steady, Steady Photography
NEED TO KNOW
- Twin brothers Alberto and Steven Torres, 18, graduated from Notre Dame High School in New Haven, Conn., as the top 2 of their class
- “We just wanted to be like in the top 5%,” Alberto, the valedictorian, tells PEOPLE
- In the fall, both brothers are continuing their education journey together at Boston University
When 18-year-old twin brothers Alberto and Steven Torres first learned from their guidance counselor that they were in the running to become valedictorian and salutatorian, they couldn’t believe it.
“We're like, 'Oh, wait, that's crazy,' because our goal was never to really be the top two," Alberto, of Hamden, Conn., tells PEOPLE. “We just wanted to be like in the top 5%."
“But once we knew we were gonna be in the top two, we were like, 'Okay, we should just keep working hard,' " he adds.
Fortunately, their hard work paid off when they graduated as valedictorian and salutatorian of Notre Dame High School’s Class of 2026.
The accomplishment was particularly poignant for the twins, who moved to Connecticut from Puerto Rico when they were 7 and learned English in elementary school.
"I remember walking down the aisle to pick up the [valedictorian] trophy," Alberto says, "I got a flashback of all the memories of all the things I had to do to earn it. It felt surreal."
“I did as well,” Steven adds. “When I received the trophy for salutatorian, I was thinking, 'Oh my goodness, all these late nights finishing a project for biology was worth it.' "
Although sibling rivalry is certainly a thing, Steven and Alberto say they were each other's biggest supporters —not to mention study partners.
“There'll be days where I'm at a track meet and I'm not coming back home late,” Alberto says, “and I know that we have a biology exam in two days. So Steven will make the quiz and then he'll share it with me."
And on days when Steven was stuck in rehearsal for a school play, Alberto was the one to lend a helping hand. "That method of studying is really effective,” says Steven.
Credit: John Steady, Steady Photography
The two also credit their family for their success.
Growing up, Steven says the pair weren't the type of kids asking to spend Saturdays hanging out with friends, instead, for example, they'd ask if they could "go to a model U.N. debate from 8-5."
"They would always be like, 'Hey, just do what you wanna do,' " he says.
And when the twins graduated on May 9, which happened to be their birthday, they celebrated being part of the first generation of their family bound for college.
In the fall, the twins will both be attending Boston University, which they say is partly a coincidence.
“We're like, 'We'll go wherever gives us the most money,' ” Alberto explains. "And Boston University gave us both a really good financial package. So that's where we ended up going."
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In addition to setting goals for themselves, Alberto and Steven, who will both be on the pre-med track at school, are hoping they can inspire other members of their family that they can aim for higher education and beyond, too.
“We want them to know going to college is an option,” Alberto says. “Pursuing a career and, and pursuing a degree is an option. We want to set that foundation in our family so that future generations in our family know they can do it. It's not impossible.”
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