HIGH-FIVESOME!
NJ quints graduate college together
It’s celebrations all around for this party of five.
Quintuplets from New Jersey have made history by graduating from Montclair State University on the same day.
Victoria, Vico, Ashley, Michael and Marcus Povolo, 21, each took to the stage to receive their diploma at the college’s commencement ceremony this week, watched on by their proud parents, Paolo and Silvia.
“It was super emotional, I was very, very excited,” Vico told The Post of the milestone moment. “We didn’t have a traditional high school graduation ceremony during the COVID pandemic, so it was a full-circle moment.”
It’s “believed to be the first time quints have simultaneously graduated from a New Jersey higher ed institution,” Montclair State University said in a statement.
The quintuplets, who hail from the town of Totowa, were nicknamed the “Five Little Firecrackers” by local media after they were born on July 4, 2002. Their parents immigrated from Italy to the United States in 1988.
For Silvia, the children’s graduation marked the end of an era.
“It came so fast and it’s so amazing that these kids pulled through it,” she said. “There was a really a lot of emotion. I cried, I laughed, I screamed.”
While they share a close bond, the siblings have all forged their own individual interests and each pursued different college majors.
‘They’re so diligent’
Victoria, who studied biochemistry, is planning to attend med school, while sister Ashley is currently completing her clinical experience as a high school Advanced Placement English teacher.
Vico is soon set to start work as a sales and marketing rep for Techtronic Industries and Marcus, who majored in Business Administration, has scored a plum job at JPMorgan Chase.
Meanwhile, Michael, who earned a Bachelor of Science, will return to Montclair State in the fall to complete a Master of Science in nutrition. The studentathlete teams his studies with volunteer work. He currently interns at an assisted-living community and coaches youth lacrosse.
While Gen Zers may get a bad rap, stereotyped as entitled and lazy, mom Silvia says her kids were taught the value of hard work.
“I’m not really surprised that they’re so diligent,” she told The Post. “These kids grew up in a very strict house.
“I didn’t give my kids two chances, because of how many there were,” she added. “With five of them, I couldn’t really play around.”
‘It’s very chaotic’
For now, the five siblings are home from college and all living together again under the same roof, acutely aware that this may be the last summer they’re all so close to one another.
“It’s very chaotic, but it’s also very cozy,” Victoria said of the cramped living quarters.
“You always have someone to talk to,” Michael added. “I love having a full house.”
Many might believe that Silvia is looking forward to some peace and quiet in the Povolo house, but the mom says that’s not the case.
“No, no, no,” she declared. “I’m used to cooking a lot, cleaning a lot, there’s always something. The empty nest — I don’t want it!”