Twin brothers received the highest recognition from a Dallas high school Monday night as they graduated as valedictorian and salutatorian.
James and Matthew Madison graduated this spring with top honors from James Madison High School in South Dallas.
Menique Hopkins Madison saw her twin boys in the cap and gown for the first time, minutes before the graduation ceremony.
“The expectation was not val and sal, but it was the expectation of always doing your best and not competing with anyone else,” Madison said.
That’s the lesson she taught them long before she and her husband William decided to pull them from their schools in the suburbs and enroll them in Madison High School.
They wanted the boys to learn in an urban and diverse environment.
“I said that's exactly what two young African-American males need and they need a strong black male teacher and they received that,“ said Madison.
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Even though the boys excelled together, they have their differences.
Matthew Madison, salutatorian, is outgoing while James Madison, valedictorian, is more of the quiet type. However, they’re both equally proud of each other.
“He's right behind me and I feel like we are a team so we are just gonna do this together,“ said James Madison.
"It’s great to have someone alongside me to, yeah, share in this big night and the big honor,” Matthew Madison said.
After graduation, the two plan to continue their studies at different universities. James Madison plans to attend the University of Texas in Austin while Matthew Madison will attend the University of Texas at Arlington.
