‘Walking miracles’: Tyler High School twins set to graduate, pursue HBCU after breaking barriers

Published 5:40 am Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Editor’s Note: This is one in a series of stories highlighting graduating high school seniors in Smith County.

With faith and hard work, Tyler High School twins Zackary and Quynton Johnson have beaten several odds and are set to graduate from Tyler High School on Friday.

The Johnsons may be fraternal twin brothers but have each left two separate blueprints on campus.

Zackary is involved on campus as a percussion captain for the Tyler High Big Blue band and has a passion for music, while Quynton is an athlete for the varsity tennis team and has a love for the science and technology field.

Both are powerhouses in extracurricular involvement and are academically successful on campus. According to the Johnsons, managing time and getting involved with the right people were important contributions to their success.

“I feel Tyler High has shaped me into what I can say, a good young man, because I’ve learned from older kids that went here, in good ways and also bad ways. And also the organizations that I’m involved in, there’s a lot of numerous kids in these organizations that I feel are just as good as me. And I feel that if you’re around people with the same ambition and same goals as you, it pushes you to do better too,” Zackary said.

Quynton said, “Tyler has shaped me in a positive way, because of the people I got involved with, and my grandmother who has always pushed us to get involved with everything, especially when it comes to helping going to community we want we get involved with the right people, which causes us to grow mentally. I think that was a good factor in helping us become successful also.”

Zackary and Quynton are said to be “walking miracles,” according to their mother Serrena Johnson who raised them as a single mother. Both were born as premature babies.

Quynton weighed 3 pounds and Zackary 5 pounds, the mother said. She mentioned that growing up, their pediatrician said the twins would have “delays” and suggested they start school late.

“Don’t underestimate the power of the Lord, because he has been guiding us since birth. Me and Quynton are walking examples that our Lord is good,” Zackary said.

The twins recalled several memorable times from their high school careers.

Quynton said all his experiences have been memorable but competing in choir and tennis tournaments are some of his most special high school moments.

“All the achievements I have made are memorable, one of them was my first time competing in All-Region competition in choir, and I was able to advance in pre-area and that’s not an easy thing to do, especially with the music they had given us. And also competing in the tennis district tournament and moving on to the second round in that tournament. Even though it ended there, I was still proud of all the hard work and dedication I put in,” he said.

For Zackary, he recalls UIL competitions where he broke a campus record then proceeded to break it again.

“I will say one of the most impactful moments for me was sophomore year when I was headed to UIL for an ensemble for piano I received a Division 1 and then later I found out I was the first person in Tyler High School history and possibly the city of Tyler to receive a superior rating at UIL solo and ensemble on piano. Then the next year I did the same thing but instead of just getting superior rating, I was the first person to go to state … the most impactful moment was making a record and then breaking my own record,” he said.

As for plans after high school, they both will continue their education at Prairie View A&M University this upcoming fall where Zackary will pursue music education and Quynton will study computer science.

Although they will attend the same university and chase different career paths, they will always continue to support and push each other, both mentioned.

“We’re still going to try our best to have that close twin bond, which we know it will never end and we will try our best to help and encourage each other to get past through the hardships we may go through and to keep encouraging each other to do our best in all the activities and work that we do,” Quynton said.

Other extracurricular activities Zackary has involvement in include Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, UIL debate, National Honor Society, Texas Bank and Trust student board, and Top Teens of America and Junior NAACP. Quynton was involved in varsity tennis, choir, AVID, honor guard for the drill team and in the top 10% of the graduating 2022 class.

What: Tyler High School graduation ceremony

When: 8 p.m. Friday

Where: CHRISTUS Trinity Mother Frances Rose Stadium

Valedictorian: Kyla Alyse Daye

Salutatorian: Emma Yareli Arteaga