Milwaukee twin sisters accepted into 38 schools, awarded $1M in scholarships

MILWAUKEE, WI (CBS 58) – A pair of Milwaukee twin sisters are celebrating their accomplishments after being accepted into 38 schools and awarded more than $1,000,000 in scholarships.

The two are seniors at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy. They were excited to share their final school choice, and seemed very eager to start college in the fall. Their career choice: nursing.

“This is not really a completion for me, I’m just getting started,” says Arianna Williams.

“Yeah, I feel partially relieved,” says Arielle Williams.

Arianna is graduating first in her class, with her twin sister Arielle right behind her in second. They say they’re waiting on the final word from their school to be considered valedictorian and salutatorian. They were accepted to 38 schools and received more than $1,000,000 in scholarships.

“We’ve always been those overachievers throughout school, period,” says Arielle.

“We never wanted to do the basic,” says Arianna. “We always wanted to go above and do beyond that.”

In fact, their school requires seniors to apply to a certain number of schools.

“The requirement was three,” says Arielle.

“I said I wanted to do 30,” explains Arianna. “I even applied to schools in Alaska. I’m not going there, but why not.”

Some of those top choices included Hampton and Benedict.

“We were thinking about Benedict, we got a full ride there, but they didn’t have our major,” said both Arianna and Arielle.

The two want to go into nursing, it runs in their family. They also didn’t want to be far from home.

That’s why Marquette seemed like the best fit.

“Tuition is pretty much covered there,” says Arianna. “We got accepted into the EOP Program (Educational Opportunity Program), and directly into the nursing program.”

We reached out to Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, and Principal Judith Parker had this to say about the sisters:

"As students at Dr. Howard Fuller Collegiate Academy, Arianna and Arielle Williams have set a tremendous example as scholars and citizens for four years. We couldn’t be more proud of their growth, choices and their ability to persevere with joy in the face of obstacles. They have traveled, organized community service projects, met Michelle Obama and represented our school inside of our walls and throughout our city. We are proud of them and the entire Class of 2020 and excited for the next chapter in their lives as they take this same drive to college." 

While they admit their journey wasn’t easy, they have advice for others as they navigate through life.

“It’s okay to fail sometimes,” says Arianna. “You gotta accept your failures. Just come back harder. Do the most! They told us we were doing the most. Do the most and go above and beyond.”

The sisters hope to serve as an example for other students who may have found it difficult to stay on track during this pandemic.