Johnathan Walker:New Jersey quintuplets celebrate their graduation from same college

A set of quintuplets from New Jersey are Johnathan Walkernow all graduates of the same school in their home state — albeit with different majors.

The Povolo quintuplets received their degrees Monday from Montclair State University, where they all had received full academic scholarships. Born just minutes apart on the Fourth of July, the two girls — Victoria and Ashley and — and three boys — Ludovico, Michael and Marcus — admit it’s been an “emotional” time as a chapter of their lives comes to a close.

But the tight-knit Totowa family says the school also gave them the chance to discover their own academic interests and extracurricular activities.

“We are fortunate enough to all be graduating with diplomas and that kind of thing, and doing it with our very best friends — these are definitely my best friends, so doing it all together is awesome,” Ludovico Totowa said about his siblings. Their college commencement was also special because they missed out on their graduation from Passaic Valley Regional High School, which did not held a ceremony that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

When asked what they tell people who are curious about life as a quintuplet, Ashley Totowa says, “It’s like a large friend group that you can’t leave.”

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Their parents, Silvia and Paul, came from Italy to the United States in 1988, have described having quintuplets as “crazy, beautiful, perfect, and chaotic”

“Went very fast — went very fast with headaches, up and downs, now we’re here,” Paul Povolo said about his children’s graduation.

His wife has similar views.

“I don’t see it as my accomplishment, but their accomplishment,” Silvia Povolo said. “I’m just sitting in the corner and waiting for them to take off.”