A set of New Jersey quintuplets achieved the impossible by graduating from the same university this week.
Victoria, Ludovico, Ashley, Michael and Marcus Povolo earned their diplomas from Montclair State University on Monday. In a press release, the school said that the siblings are likely the only quintuplets in the Garden State to have ever accomplished the feat.
"The milestone at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, is believed to be the first time quints have simultaneously graduated from a New Jersey higher ed institution, with the Povolos joining just a handful of other multiple siblings in the nation who celebrated their 'quintessential' college experience by graduating from the same college in the same academic year," Montclair State said in a statement.
The siblings were born on July 4, 2002. All of the quintuplets had different callings and graduated with different majors.
Victoria and Ashley majored in biochemistry and English, respectively. Ludovico studied political science, while Michael studied food science and Marcus graduated with a degree in business administration.
The chance of having quintuplets is roughly one in 55 million – and all five graduating from the same university is even rarer.
But Montclair State sweetened the deal when, in 2020, they offered all five siblings Presidential Scholarships – saved only for the most high-achieving students. The Povolo family also qualified for need-based grants and additional scholarships.
"It’s so big we can’t even put words to it," mother Silvia Povolo told Montclair State. "I always sit down with them and say, ‘You had four years of college that came to your table and you had the chance to take it with no cost. Whatever you learned in these four years, it’s a blessing… it’s a key to open a golden door."
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The siblings all expressed gratitude for their time at Montclair State, which allowed them to meet up regularly for coffee and meals.
"Montclair helped us be together, but also helped us to become our own people, with our own majors, our own interests, our own friend groups," Victoria explained in the press release. "We customized our own paths, but we got to the finish line together."
"The support that they have for us, obviously, there’s a reason why we made it this far," she added. "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."
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Before they graduated, Michael remarked that his mother was going to become emotional when watching them walk across the stage.
"We’ll need a tissue box for my mom," he said. "She’s definitely going to cry."
The father of the quintuplets called Monday's graduation ceremony "a gigantic moment for them and for us."
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"So basically, we’ve been saying, ‘when one door closes another one opens.’ In the sense that college is coming to an end, we have to think of the future, we have to think of what’s next … and that is in the making," Paolo Povolo said.
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