A Few Minutes
Brett and Robert Richstone, scholarship winners.Scholarship-Winning Twins Urge Each Other to SuccessLincoln High twins share GPA, class rank, volunteerism, work-ethic and now the Rowland Publishing Scholarship
{mosimage} By Tabitha Yang
On paper, the high school careers of Brett and Robert Richstone look as identical as they do. They both graduated sixth in their senior class of 386 students at Lincoln High School, both maintained unweighted GPAs of 4.0, both worked as leaders in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and both completed more than 120 hours of community service with World Changers, a Christian youth mission program through which teens volunteer a week in a city and provide labor for needed repairs.
And now, both are recipients of the Rowland Publishing Scholarship, awarded annually by the parent company of Tallahassee Magazine to outstanding students with a strong record of community service.
When you first meet these twins in person, it’s difficult to tell them apart. Both are tan, lean and athletic, with brown hair and bright smiles. Soon, however, little differences in their personalities and mannerisms start to come across.
Robert is the first to tease his brother. He readily admits that “I’m a little more goofy (than Brett).”
Brett describes himself as “more laid back,” and seems to be the spokesman for the two, always ready with a thoughtful answer to a question.
Asked whether they view each other as competition, Robert said, “I know he does,” giving his brother a look. Brett laughed, and pointed out that their friendly sibling rivalry has been a good thing.
“I think that’s what helped us in high school – the fact that deep down, we did compete,” he said. “We didn’t let each other slack off, so there was some accountability there.”
The boys credit their parents for much of their success. Robert cited them as his role models. He added with a smile, “My dad provides the humor (at home) and my mom keeps it clean.”
About his mom, Brett said, “She kept our priorities straight when we were young, and we picked up on it, especially in high school.”
The togetherness will continue in the fall, when the two attend Mercer University in Macon, Ga., where they plan to study engineering. The school has offered them tuition scholarships. After that, Brett wants to start his own business. Robert isn’t sure exactly what he wants to pursue, but whatever his job, he hopes it will be enjoyable: “I want to have fun wherever I work; I want to get a job that makes me want to go to work at least a couple of days out of the week.”
If the past is any indication of the future, the boys are sure to make a positive contribution wherever they end up. As Lincoln guidance counselor Teri Gimbel puts it, “They’re both very confident and caring . . . I mean, if you had daughters, you’d want your daughters to marry them.”
