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Identical twins will graduate as co-valedictorians with $5 million in scholarships
The Critical Thinking Child and The 5:30 Scholars supported their achievement
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – June 5, 2019 – Identical twins will graduate as co-valedictorians of the highly selective Lindblom Math and Science Academy High School in West Englewood, Illinois. Tia and Tyra Smith completed their senior year at the top of their class of 295 students with weighted GPAs of 5.2 and unweighted GPAs of 4.0.
They have been awarded more than $2 million apiece in college scholarships, with a combined total of $5 million, and have been accepted to prestigious universities like Brown, Dartmouth, Rice, Vassar, and Vanderbilt. This fall, Tia will pursue statistics and theater at Duke University, while Tyra will study economics and theater at Northwestern University.
The Smith sisters have been earning straight As since kindergarten, and credit each other with the motivation to achieve such remarkable academic success. Tia says, “We’re successful because we’ve worked together throughout all these years.” Their classroom accomplishments are complemented by an interest in theater performance and management, participating in the Chicago-area Steppenwolf Theatre’s Young Adult Council and the Goodman Theatre’s Cindy Bandle Young Critics programs.
Their parents knew Tia and Tyra were destined for success, and have followed a customized academic plan for them from their birth. Their mother, Lemi-Ola Erinkitola, cites her gifted daughters as the inspiration for founding The Critical Thinking Child, an award-winning academic program that empowers parents to teach critical thinking skills in the home.
“I’m proud of my daughters,” Erinkitola says, “and thrilled that their hard work has paid off. I’m grateful they helped make The Critical Thinking Child what it is today, enabling more children to succeed.”
The Critical Thinking Child supported the Smith sisters through primary school and their accelerated middle school education. In high school, Tia and Tyra benefited from The 5:30 Scholars program, which helps students perform in the top 5% of Reading and Math scores on NWEA and other standardized tests, as well as achieve a 30 on the ACT (or SAT equivalent).
For more information about The Critical Thinking Child, please visit https://www.thecriticalthinkingchild.com, and for information regarding The 5:30 Scholars, visit http://530scholars.com.
About The Critical Thinking Child: Founded by Lemi-Ola Erinkitola, The Critical Thinking Child empowers parents and caregivers to foster their child’s critical thinking skills and cognitive development at home using interactive and engaging strategies. This is achieved through consulting services, tutoring programs, and innovative educational tools.
