TYLER, Texas — The countdown to graduation is on for the class of 2023, but this year's event is even more exciting for a set of twins graduating at the top of their class.
Iraida and Dayra Banda are graduating in the top five of their class at Tyler High School, each with a 4.0 GPA.
Iraida will be graduating as valedictorian, while her sister, Dayra, not far behind, will graduate third in their class.
Despite some of the challenges they faced in school with the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, that didn't stop them from reaching one of their highest academic achievements.
"High school was a crazy time for everybody, but I think we made pretty much the best out of it," Iraida said. "It's a huge accomplishment and I'm really proud of where we are."
The Banda twins have been going to school together all their whole lives and owe it to each other for their academic success.
"We always helped each other out because it's really good to bounce out ideas, or if we don't understand a concept and one of us does, we can explain to the other," Iraida said.
Iraida has accepted a full-ride scholarship to the University of Texas at Tyler and plans to major in biology in order to pursue a career in ophthalmology.
Dayra will pursue an associate degree in astronomy at Tyler Junior College.
"It was an inevitable point that was bound to happen," Dayra said. "We'll still be in the same city and house, but it will definitely be different."
One thing that will remain the same is their inseparable bond.
"If one of us is down, we lift the other up," Iraida said. "We're like sisters but more like best friends who want the best for each other," Dayra said.
The twins, and the rest of their class will graduate at Tyler High School on May 20.