The Wonder Twins Unite!
A pair of Texas twins are showing us that excellence runs in the family! In 2010, the sisters graduated high school as valedictorian and salutatorian. Now they’re set to do it again. They are graduating this December with their second master’s in clinical nutrition and their doctorate degrees in chiropractic medicine, nabbing the valedictorian and salutatorian honors for the second time.
LaTonya and LaToya Harris are remarkable to say the least. Whereas most twins usually forge separate paths at some point in time, Tonya and Toya have stuck together, blazing a two way street of their own. After high school the pair continued their academic careers together. The went to the same college, shared a dorm room, and got their bachelor’s and master’s in sports management from UT Austin, and continued to Parker University together.
Their mother, Gail Harris, took to social media to share how proud she and her husband are of their daughters, saying, “We are honored to be their parents.”
For the sisters, it just seemed logical that they stick together, something they’ve said they have always done naturally. “We don’t recall a time when we haven’t liked the same things. Our parents always left the decision up to us. They always wanted us to do what we wanted, and they never forced us to do anything the same. We both agree that we wouldn’t change anything about our journey because we understand that God planned it to happen exactly as it has, even if we didn’t,” the twins told Because Of Them We Can.
Photo Courtesy of LaTonya Harris
Both women said they didn’t necessarily intend to choose the same schools. They based their decision off the suggestion of a mentor, but were okay whether they were together or apart. There were very few schools offering degrees in chiropractic medicine, which led them to attend the same school. The best thing about staying together for the Harris twins is the support they receive from each other.
“Your best friend gets to come to work with you every day. We are more efficient because we already know what each other is thinking. We can just look at each other and know what needs to be said or done next. We make one another so much better,” the sisters told BOTWC.
Photo Courtesy of LaTonya Harris
The 28-year-olds plan to continue as a duo even after graduation, with dreams of owning a clinic and setting up a scholarship for other minorities looking to pursue careers in the industry.
“We feel we work much better together than apart. We would love to have established our own practice in addition to a scholarship fund and mentorship program for minority doctors…We desperately want to help change the narrative of healthcare,” the Harris twins said.
You’re a dynamic duo! Congratulations, Dr. Tonya and Dr. Toya!
Photo Courtesy of LaTonya Harris