LYNN — Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy will not only be celebrating their first graduating class this year, but also celebrating 18-year-old twins Francheska and Frances Pecjo on earning the titles of valedictorian and salutatorian.

The twins sat bashfully beside one another in a conference room of the school as they shared that this wasn’t the first time the sisters had tied or even achieved something of such high honor.

“In middle school, we ranked high, but not number one,” Francheska Pecjo said.

“But we were tied before,” Frances Pecjo added, mentioning an award that tied them in the top four at Thurgood Marshall Middle School in 2022.

That pattern continued throughout high school, where they earned the number one and number two spots in their graduating class while also serving as president and vice president of the student council.

The sisters said their close relationship and similar interests naturally pushed them toward success.

“I feel like we’re just kind of really even,” Francheska Pecjo said.

“We’re close, so we always do things together.” Frances Pecjo added.

Although they admitted they are both competitive, the competition never became negative.

“I feel like we’re both competitive, but at the same time, we both do it for ourselves,” Francheska Pecjo stated.

Frances Pecjo joked that if she “were to get something low, then I’d be a little embarrassed.”

Growing up as twins often meant constant comparisons from classmates and others around them. The sisters said those experiences could sometimes be difficult, but they learned to turn them into motivation.

“They always associate one twin better than the other,” Francheska Pecjo said. “But we just didn’t let it go the negative way. We just took it positively.”

While they spend much of their time together, the sisters emphasized that they study independently and have developed their own routines over the years.

“We study on our own because we’re more independent,” Frances Pecjo said. “And then we check up on each other, like to quiz each other.”

Frances Pecjo described herself as someone who learns through writing detailed notes and creating practice quizzes, while Francheska said she focuses on understanding concepts rather than memorization.

“You’re not just memorizing, but also understanding the concept,” Frances Pecjo said.

Their work ethic extended beyond the classroom. During high school, both sisters worked part-time jobs at CVS, where they advanced from cashiers to licensed pharmacy technicians.

“We started as cashiers at the pharmacy, and then pharmacy tech trainees, and then we became officially licensed for the state,” Frances Pecjo said.

Balancing work and academics was not always easy, especially while taking demanding college-level courses through Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy’s early college program.

“Sometimes we were too focused,” Francheska Pecjo said. “We didn’t make friends because we were like, just (on) our laptops.”

Still, the twins said they eventually learned the importance of balance and building friendships during their senior year.

“School is first before work, obviously,” Francheska Pecjo said.

“So priorities,” Frances Pecjo added.

Outside of academics and work, the sisters participated in basketball during their freshman and sophomore years and later joined a healthcare fellowship program through Lynn Community Health Center. The fellowship gave them opportunities to explore healthcare careers through mentorships and clinic visits.

“That experience (was) more of learning more about career paths,” Frances Pecjo said. “If you find a passion in health fields, they help you guide where you could go and prepare for college as well.”

The experience strengthened both sisters’ desire to pursue careers in healthcare. This fall, they will attend Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, where both plan to study pharmacy.

The twins are also members of Frederick Douglass Collegiate Academy’s first graduating class, making their accomplishments especially meaningful to school leaders and staff.

The school operates as an early college program in partnership with North Shore Community College, allowing students to take college courses beginning in ninth grade and graduate with both a high school diploma and an associate degree.

“We were guinea pigs,” Frances Pecjo joked about joining the school’s first class. “It felt like a fun experience, like a kind of gamble.”

Despite the uncertainty of being part of a brand-new program, both sisters said the opportunity to earn college credits and save time in the future appealed to them.

“I went for the associate degree because I wanted to lessen my time with school,” Frances Pecjo said. “I just like being advanced at that point.”

School staff described the twins as ideal examples of how students can take advantage of the opportunities Frederick Douglass offers.

“They’ve taken advantage of everything,” Principal Heather Fabiano of FDCA said. “They’re a phenomenal example of how successful you can be here.”

Beyond academics, the sisters said some of their favorite high school memories came from experiences that allowed them to explore their creative side, including participating in a podcast project and running a small business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We’d sell our products, but all those products, we did the sales and bought the inventory,” Frances Pecjo said. “We also designed posters and social media promotion products.”

Even with their many similarities, the sisters acknowledged small differences between them.

Frances Pecjo described Francheska as more organized and expressive, while Francheska Pecjo called her sister “more of the bigger sister,” despite being born only one minute apart.

When asked to describe their relationship in one sentence, their answer came easily.

“At the end of the day, no matter what, we’ll always stick together,” Francheska Pecjo said.

As graduation approaches and they prepare their speeches, the Pecjo sisters said they are excited for the future while remaining grateful for the experiences that shaped them during high school.