The Class of 2011 Is Seeing Double This Year

Olivia and Ana DiPrete are identical twins, and unlike many other sets of twins, they fully embrace the “twin-dom” they were born into.

Not only do they look alike, run in the same groups of friends and have the same goals in life, but they are also both top ranked in their graduating class at Narragansett High school. 

Olivia, the valedictorian, says that she and her twin sister Ana, salutatorian, have always been motivating each other academically. 

“It was never a competition, we were just doing the best we could do,” Olivia said. “Our dad was also valedictorian and that helped motivate us too.”

Ana says that she and Olivia have been ranked first and second in their class since they were freshmen.

Both Ana and Olivia give their parents a lot of credit for pushing them to their full potential all throughout their school years. 

“Our parents knew that we were good at school when we were little and they always said that we had to work to our full potential,” Ana said. “Although they always had high standards for us, they never pushed us more than they knew we were able to do; they just wanted us to do our best.”

For the speeches that they are giving at their graduation, they decided to join together to write and give a joint speech about balancing academic work while still hanging with friends and having fun. 

“One thing that I have learned all throughout high school is not to forget to have fun, even while staying focused and working hard,” Olivia said. “I am very driven to work hard academically but we also go out on Friday and Saturday nights to Brickleys or hang out at the seawall with friends.”

In the fall, Olivia and Ana are beginning their college careers at Brown University where they both were accepted into the eight-year medical program. Both sisters excelled in math and science throughout school and have always had an idea that they wanted to pursue a career in the medical field. 

“Our dad is a doctor and I also did an internship at a pediatrics office last summer and so for right now, I really want to become a pediatrician,” Ana said.

Olivia shared an experience that secured her desire to pursue a medical career.  

“I did an independent study with our science teacher and we got to see a surgery performed at Kent County Hospital because our neighbor was a surgeon there,” Olivia said.

The twins admitted that the most important thing to them is each other. 

“Even though we don’t act like we like each other all the time, we know that we wouldn’t be able to live without each other,” Ana said. “Olivia is my best friend and we understand each other better than anyone.”

Although they have many similarities, they do have different personalities. 

“Ana is fast paced and she likes to keep moving, whereas I am very detail oriented,” Olivia said. “I am more reserved until I get to know someone while Ana is more initially outgoing.”

Even though they both love being twins and love each other, they acknowledged that occasionally it’s hard. 

“Sometimes we get stereotyped as the super smart twins and some people think that academics is all we think about, but my high school years were balanced between hard work and good times” Ana said. “Being a twin and being second in my class, I’ve always stood out but I’ve gotten more confident with my differences from other students.”

Both are also accomplished swimmers. Along with Angelica and Bianca Spinazzola, the twins were part of The Providence Journal’s second team all-state in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Both were also named to the coach’s second team all-state.

The most important thing that they have learned in high school is to simply take everything as it comes. 

“Go with the flow, stay focused and learn time management, especially with college applications, senior projects, and portfolios,” Olivia said. “If you learn all of those things, you will be pretty well prepared for college.”

This is the first piece of graduation coverage by Narragansett Patch today. Later today, we’ll have a full list of the graduates, and also several stories from graduation. If you’d like to be e-mailed as they’re published, click the follow-up link below.