They are not quadruplets.

But when the graduate roll is called on Monday, May 12, during Georgia Perimeter College’s commencement ceremony, the name “Ochiobi” will be said four times in a row.

That’s because David, 26, Grace, 24, Darlene, 22 and Gift, 19, all will be receiving an associate of science degree from GPC. The four siblings all majored in Biology, and all are graduating with honors. They all have been accepted into the University of Georgia.

Nigerian by birth, the four students immigrated to the United States in 2010 to be with their mother, who lives in Marietta. They are all permanent residents of Georgia.

While they came to the U.S. for a “change of environment,” the four came to GPC because of its reputation as a good school where they could get individualized attention from the teachers, says David. They have been taking classes on the Clarkston Campus.

Gift, the youngest sibling, had not completed high school when she came to the United States. That didn’t stop her, she says. After some preliminary testing, she took the GED, passing at age 16. She was then able to join her brother and two sisters when they enrolled at Georgia Perimeter in 2011.

The foursome studied together and often rode to school together when their schedules allowed.  And like many siblings, they competed with one another—in their case, for the highest GPA, which ranges from 3.5 to 3.8.

“We had a friend who came here, and we asked how long [our associate degree] should take—she said two years, and we said, ‘OK, how do we do this,” says Darlene. “We sometimes have taken up to 22 credit hours a semester—and 90 percent of those classes were science. It was crazy.”

In between classes, the siblings often tutored others in the college’s math, engineering and science lab. Grace also worked as a supplemental instructor for a chemistry course. And they all became involved in STEP, the National Science Foundation-funded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Talent Expansion Program, as well as the college’s MESA (Math Engineering, Science Achievement) program. These science-focused programs encourage students to apply for undergraduate research positions at four-year universities.

This summer all four siblings will be undergraduate researchers: Grace and David will work at Georgia State University, while Darlene and Gift will do separate research projects at Emory University.

While the siblings did not have anyone in their family involved in a science field, their dedication to science was inspired by the famous physician, Dr. Ben Carson, says David.

“When you’re from my place [in Nigeria], there are not enough family practitioners. There are fake drugs … and there is malaria. You want to help; you wonder how you can help,” says David, who hopes to pursue his medical degree after undergraduate studies at UGA, as does Gift. Grace and Darlene hope to work in the pharmacology field.