News

Meet the Black Twins Who Made History as Valedictorians at Spelman With a 4.0 GPA

In 2013, identical twins Kirstie and Kristie Bronner, were named co-valedictorians at Spelman College. With a 4.0 GPA, the Bronners were the first twins to receive the designation in the history of Spelman. “Being co-valedictorians of our class is very exciting and a blessing for us,” said Kirstie.

Following graduation, Kristie and Kirstie, both music majors, joined the youth ministry at a church in Atlanta pastored by their father. In between directing youth events and counseling in the music department, they recorded a contemporary Christian CD and wrote a book offering advice to high school students about achieving academic success in college and beyond.

The Bronners attribute their academic achievement to a disciplined study routine, time management, and their faith. “We maximized our study time,” said Kirstie. “People would ask us ‘do you want to go do this or that on a weekday’ and the response was an automatic ‘no.’ We saved recreation for the weekend. Our philosophy was and is, pay now and play later.”

The sisters are third-generation Spelman graduates. As youngsters, they looked up to their mother, Nina Cobb Bronner, Class of ’85, and grandmother, Dorothy Gibson Cobb, Class of ’56, and naturally wanted to continue the Spelman tradition. However, Kirstie changed her mind in high school and wanted to go to a school with more diversity. Her perspective shifted when the sisters took part in a National Society of High School Scholars campus tour of Spelman during their senior year.

“When I heard the whole idea behind [Spelman’s mission] ‘a choice to change the world,’ I realized Spelman was the place for me,” Kirstie said. “The experience of being here and hearing that Spelman emphasized leadership, community service, legacy, and changing the world was an affirmation because those things had been instilled in us throughout our lives. It clicked with who I was and made me realize this was a place I needed to be.”

The Bronners rounded out their academic career by studying music abroad their junior year in Milan, Italy as part of the Institute for the International Education of Students. It’s an experience Kristie described as “one of the more enriching semesters of my life.” They joined the Spelman College Glee Club their first year, and each earned a leadership position within the Glee Club by their senior year – Kirstie as a section leader and student conductor and Kristie as a section leader and chaplain.

“Spelman has emphasized not just the academic side but the development of the overall person,” said Kristie. “There is a nurturing environment here that establishes a foundation on which you can stand. It’s been a nurturing environment for my overall growth as a Black woman.”

Related Posts

Psychiatrist drops bombshell testimony about Jordan Neely – after prosecutors tried to silence him from Daniel Penny’s chokehold trial

A forensic psychiatrist testified that Jordan Neely had been hospitalized for psychotic episodes over a dozen times and was heavily abusing drugs before his death on a Manhattan train. Dr. Alexander Bardey took the stand in the trial of Daniel Penny, 26, a marine veteran who put Neely in a fatal chokehold when the homeless man threatened passengers on a subway in May 2023. Witnesses said Neely screamed at passengers that someone was ‘going to die’ on the train, and Penny said he stepped in when Neely approached a woman with a child in a stroller.

Elon Musk is more popular than Keir Starmer: PMs net approval rating among British public is five points lower than billionaire Tesla owner, survey reveals

Elon Musk is now more popular with the British public than Keir Starmer, a new poll has revealed. The Tesla founder, who has grown close to Donald Trump and is set to play a major role in his administration, has a net approval rating of -17, five points better than the Prime Minister on -22. Mr Musk is a vocal critic of the Labour leader, with the billionaire attacking his response to the summer race riots and most recently accusing him of going ‘full Stalin’ over his inheritance tax raid on farmers.

Morning Joe host reveals ‘takeaway’ from his controversial meeting with Trump as fallout continues

Joe Scarborough has revealed one takeaway from his controversial meeting with president-elect Donald Trump. The MSNBC star, 61, said on Wednesday’s episode of ‘Morning Joe’ that Trump was having issues with his Secretary of Defense choice Pete Hegseth. Shortly after Trump announced Hegseth for the job, it emerged that the Fox News pundit made a payment to a woman who accused him of sexual assault in 2017.

Denzel Washington boasts new sober lifestyle after $4M wine cellar caused him to drink two bottles DAILY

Denzel Washington revealed that December 2024 will mark a decade since he had any wine. The movie star, 69, spoke to Esquire magazine amid his promotional tour for his new film Gladiator II – explaining that he started drinking two bottles of expensive wine a day after he and his wife Pauletta built a house in 1999 that had a 10,000 bottle wine cellar. Denzel said he would stop the habit while preparing to work on a film and also during filming – but immediately resume once his projects wrapped – a pattern he did for 15 years.

Kate Cassidy says goodbye to ‘love of my life’: Liam Payne’s heartbroken girlfriend who revealed after his death that they had planned to get married joins mourners at funeral

Liam Payne’s heartbroken girlfriend Kate Cassidy has arrived at the funeral of the tragic One Direction star she described as ‘the love of my life’. Ms Cassidy was seen arriving at St Mary’s Church in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, ahead of this afternoon’s ceremony, dressed in a long black coat with fur trim and wearing sunglasses. Payne died aged 31 on October 16 after falling from the third-floor balcony of a hotel in the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.

Liam Payne’s parents’ moment of comfort for heartbroken Simon Cowell: Music mogul is hugged by singer’s mother and father after One Direction star’s private funeral

Liam Payne’s parents Geoff and Karen hugged a heartbroken Simon Cowell as he sought to comfort them following their son’s funeral today. The heartfelt embrace took place outside the church where Payne was remembered in an emotional service following his tragic death at the age of just 31. Cowell’s girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, stood at a distance away while the 65-year-old shared a private moment with the grieving couple – who paid a final tribute to the beloved singer with a floral tribute beside his coffin spelling out the word ‘son’.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *