FORT DEFIANCE — You might not be able to tell that Carrie and Eli Wright are brother and sister — they have very different looks — let alone that they are twins. In fact, Carrie said, they've been mistaken as a couple in the past (ew.)
But twins they are, and this fall will be the first time the Fort Defiance High School seniors will be apart for a significant amount of time.
Eli will be attending Eastern Mennonite University to study nursing, and Carrie will be attending Virginia Tech to study dentistry. They thought about going to the same college, but it wasn't in the cards.
We put Fort Defiance twins Eli and Carrie Wright to the test by asking questions to see how they are alike and how different. Megan Williams and Mike Tripp, The News Leader
"Freshman and sophomore year we had all the same classes," Carrie said. "We're very close."
Both Eli and Carrie said that having a twin is like having a best friend more than it's like having a sibling.
Bizarrely enough, Eli and Carrie have an older brother who was a twin, as well. However, the second fetus was absorbed during pregnancy.
"I guess every time you have multiples it increases the odds if it happening again," Eli said, adding that their parents wanted two kids, so when their brother turned out to be a single child, they decided to have another child and got one more than they bargained for.
They may be close as twins, but Eli and Carrie have very different interests. While Eli is more musically inclined — he participates in chorus, band, wind ensemble, and was in the school musical — Carrie is much more athletically inclined.
"I can not sing," Carrie said. She participated in cross country and track, both indoor and outdoor. She was able to go to state's for cross country this year.
Carrie works at Krispy Kreme when she's not running or studying. Eli plans to start working there soon.
Eli said when it comes to college the thing he's looking forward to most is more freedom, particularly with his class schedule.
Carrie said she's looking forward to exploring the Blacksburg area, but will miss Fort Defiance High School.
"I love high school," she said. "Pep rallies and sports. I love everything about high school."
About this series: Every year hundreds of area high school seniors cross a stage and are declared graduates. In each batch there are many students who have gone above and beyond or have distinguished themselves among their peers. This series will feature some of the those students. Each school's guidance department was asked to provide the name of a student who they felt best represented the class of 2018. For three consecutive weekends, The News Leader will feature student profiles in print. This week students from Fort Defiance High School and Riverheads High School are featured.