Quintuplets graduate from same university as scholars in different degrees
MANILA, Philippines — Five times the educational brilliance!
Quintuplets Victoria, Ludovico or Vico, Ashley, Michael, and Marcus of the Povolo family all finished their distinct degrees at New Jersey's Montclair State University as scholars.
According to the institution, it is the first time quintuplets graduated together from a New Jersey university and one of the few siblings to graduate from the same college in the same academic year.
The school was near their home and each of the siblings qualified for Presidential Scholarships for high-achieving students, need-based grants, and small merit scholarships, meaning they were nearly tuition-free for the entire duration of their college lives.
"If [the financial situation] had been too much, I would have bowed out and just not gone to college because I didn't want to put that on my parents, and I didn't want to put that on myself financially," said Victoria, the oldest of the five.
Victoria finished a Biochemistry degree with an Italian minor, Ludovico finished a Political Science degree with a minor in Pre-Law and Business, Ashley finished English in the school's Teacher Education Program (with a P-12 certification), and Marcus finished a Business Administration degree concentrating on International Business.
Michael finished a Nutrition and Food Science degree concentrating on Dietetics but will take another year to finish a Master of Science in Nutrition, on top of playing for the school's lacrosse team, interning at an assisted living community, and coaching youth lacrosse.
Victoria held several undergraduate research positions in the school's science labs and interned at a morgue. She will take a year off and save money for medical school to study forensic medicine.
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Vico initally wanted a law-related career but a professor suggested trying out business, so he's set to start working as a sales and marketing representative for Techtronic Industries.
Ashley worked as a University Fellow and studied in Newcastle, United Kingdom on her way to completing her clinical experience as a high school advanced placement English teacher.
Marcus was the only sibling to live on campus and took extra classes to graduate on time, now he's set to continue work at JP Morgan Chase & Co.
The Povolo siblings — born on July 4, 2002 hence once being called "Five Little Firecrackers" — credit their parents Paolo, a building engineer, and Silvia, assistant housekeeping supervisor for the university, in finishing their studies.
"The support that they have for us, obviously, there's a reason why we made it this far," Victoria said. "Our parents always encourage us to do our best, and the best doesn't look the same for everyone, which I think is also something we learned growing up and explains why we're all doing different things."
The siblings often meet on campus for meals and share rides, with Ashley even calling them her "best friends" that know everything about each other, noting graduation was the last monumental thing she'd experience with them together.
"I do need that closeness and seeing them all the time and being around them all the time," Victoria ended. "It completes what I need, and the others for sure think the same. We always regroup, no matter how far we've been, no matter where we've gone, we always come back and regroup."
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