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Student Profile: Meet Mykel and Markel Rainey

Mykel (left) and Markel Rainey.

Mykel and Markel Rainey, Randolph-Clay High School Valedictorian and Salutatorian, Class of 2023

Mykel and Markel Rainey were raised in a household of five siblings in Cuthbert, Ga. - population 3,520 and the county seat of Randolph County. Under the close guidance of two parents who had scant patience for academic mediocrity, the fraternal twins learned early that poor grades came at a steep price: no TV or electronics for weeks.

“Our parents pushed us since we were in first grade,” said Mykel. “Mom really pushed hard for us to get straight As and Bs.”

The parental prodding, coupled with the example of having two older sisters who graduated college - one a physical therapist and the other a nurse – was perhaps the spark that ignited the younger boys’ rise to excellence in high school.

As juniors, while participating in an honors ceremony at school, the twins saw a glimpse of what it could be like to rise to the top. “What if we were to do this?” Mikel said.

A year later, in May 2023, Mykel and Markel achieved the what-if. They graduated from Randolph-Clay High School as Valedictorian and Salutatorian respectively in their class, making school history.

Now freshmen at Savannah State University - Mykel is pursuing a degree in electronics engineering technology and Markel is studying business management – they have their sights on their next academic goal. The influence that their parents have had on them is not lost on the young men.

“We are blessed to have the parents we have,” said Markel. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

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