Graduating Licking Heights twins get jump on college studies

Diane and Joel Sedziol made a conscious effort to keep their twin daughters Abigail and Alexis somewhat independent from one another in preschool, “because we wanted them to have separate identities.”

Now, 18-years-old and preparing to graduate from Licking Heights High School, Abby and Ally are planning on pursuing distinctly different career paths.

Ally will be studying dentistry at the Ohio State University, and Abby will study psychology with a minor (or possibly even a second major) in theology.

The sisters both opted for the College Credit Plus program, and so have gotten a jump on their first year of post-high school graduation studies.

Ally said of her interest in the dental field, “The first things I notice is a person’s shoes and their teeth. I grew up with an amazing dentist and enjoyed going to see him. He was quick, efficient and reliable. I wish to make others enjoy going to the dentist as much as I do. I later mentored with him as a high school student and realized that being a dentist is my dream job. I have always loved having healthy teeth and to be able to make others love theirs would make my day.”

She said she became interested in the College Credit Plus Program because she didn’t want to just fill a remaining year of high school with gym and other classes and to instead use the time to build college credits.

She did that with Abby at OSU-Newark, where they together took classes ranging from psychology, to the history of communications and physics.

Her plan now is to attend classes at OSU-Newark for perhaps another year, then transfer to the main campus in Columbus.

Abby said of combining theology studies with her pursuit of a psychology degree, “I got huge into church last year at Jersey Baptist. I read more theology than any other books, so why not make it a minor?”

Although initially interested in perhaps being a veterinarian, her interest shifted to psychology in the past year. She sees an intersection between psychology and theology, and also feels it important to “help people get the help they need and can’t get.”

She still has an interest in animals and volunteers at an area shelter.

Speaking of the experience of being twins and often being in the same classes together, they joked about how some teachers would like one sister more than another.

All of their College Credit classes were taken together. The two also study together, but admit they “have very different study habits.”

Abby, who was likely to be class Valedictorian, maintained the school’s highest GPA all four years at Heights.

Meanwhile Ally, mother Diane said, “went more of the well-rounded route,” generally staying in the top five percent of her class. She is also a manager at Panera.

Ally has played basketball since 7th grade, while Abby excelled on the Quiz Bowl team.

Both sisters are also active in DECA, which “prepares emerging leaders and entrepreneurs in marketing, finance, hospitality and management in high school.”