{"id":22577,"date":"2026-06-15T17:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-15T21:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/?p=22577"},"modified":"2026-06-15T17:36:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-15T21:36:17","slug":"new-york-twins-named-high-schools-valedictorian-salutatorian-as-both-head-to-ivy-league","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/06\/new-york-twins-named-high-schools-valedictorian-salutatorian-as-both-head-to-ivy-league.html","title":{"rendered":"New York Twins Named High School’s Valedictorian, Salutatorian as Both Head to Ivy League"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
CBS New York \/ YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When John and Joseph Gomes walked across the stage at Chaminade High School on Long Island this month, they made school history together. The twin brothers became the first siblings ever to graduate as both valedictorian and salutatorian at the prestigious Catholic school \u2014 and now they\u2019re heading to Brown University side by side.<\/p>\n

John, 18, earned the top spot with a cumulative average of 99.42, narrowly edging out his twin brother Joseph, who finished with a 99.29. But despite the close race, the brothers say their journey was never really about competition.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been a couple of times where we used to boast about who does better in calculus, who does better in physics,\u201d John told The New York Post. \u201cUltimately, our end goal is not to just boast, but ultimately help whoever is kind of behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

That mindset of encouragement and brotherhood became a defining part of their success.<\/p>\n

Joseph actually outperformed his brother during their senior year, earning a remarkable 99.67 average compared to John\u2019s 98.83. John praised his brother\u2019s discipline, especially during a season when many students begin to lose focus.<\/p>\n

\u201cA lot of seniors get senior-itis and slack off and don\u2019t focus as much,\u201d John said. \u201cBut one exception to that was my brother. It was actually his highest average out of his four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

The twins grew up in Hewlett, New York, sharing nearly everything together \u2014 from tennis and Nintendo games to school clubs and large birthday parties. Their close bond continued into high school, where they enrolled at Chaminade, known for its demanding academics and Catholic values.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were always encouraged to stay together,\u201d Joseph said. \u201cWe pretty much spent almost every day together.\u201d<\/p>\n

The brothers took some of the school\u2019s toughest classes while participating in extracurricular activities including social studies club, business club, culinary club, and a school prayer group. According to principal Robert Paul, the twins intentionally chose the harder academic path rather than taking easier classes that could have boosted their averages.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve also taken the hardest classes we offer here,\u201d Paul said. \u201cThere are other pathways that you could take where maybe the class is not as difficult, and you can get better grades and probably not have to work as hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their classmates quickly noticed both their intelligence and willingness to help others succeed.<\/p>\n

\u201cA few kids used to come to me freshman year and ask, \u2018How is your average so high? What do you do?\u2019\u201d Joseph recalled.<\/p>\n

John said classmates frequently asked for his notes after class. \u201cI\u2019m like, fine, but you\u2019ve got to do the actual problems yourself,\u201d he joked.<\/p>\n

What stands out most about the Gomes brothers isn\u2019t just their academic excellence, but their humility. In a culture that often celebrates rivalry and self-promotion, the twins consistently chose unity over comparison.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhether it\u2019s elementary school, middle school, or here at Chaminade, I don\u2019t think we were ever too competitive about those serious things,\u201d Joseph said.<\/p>\n

Now the brothers are preparing for the next chapter at Brown University, where their father also attended. John plans to study government or law, while Joseph hopes to pursue environmental engineering.<\/p>\n

And after spending virtually every day together for 18 years, they\u2019re grateful their paths will continue side by side.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am really going to enjoy being with Joseph for the next four years,\u201d John said. \u201cI interact with him every single day, and so it would have been a little bit off or hard to get used to if I didn\u2019t see him at least once a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their story is a refreshing reminder that success doesn\u2019t have to come at someone else\u2019s expense. Sometimes the greatest victories are the ones shared together.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When John and Joseph Gomes walked across the stage at Chaminade High School on Long Island this month, they made school history together. The twin brothers became the first siblings ever to graduate as both valedictorian and salutatorian at the prestigious Catholic school \u2014 and now they\u2019re heading to Brown University side by side. John,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":462,"featured_media":22580,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiring-messages"],"yoast_head":"\nNew York Twins Named High School's Valedictorian, Salutatorian as Both Head to Ivy League<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Long Island twins made history as valedictorian and salutatorian before heading together to Brown University.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/inspirationreport\/2026\/06\/new-york-twins-named-high-schools-valedictorian-salutatorian-as-both-head-to-ivy-league.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" 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