Windermere twins graduate as co-valedictorians from Rollins College

Growing up, Emma and Kate Salerno, Windermere Preparatory School alumnae, always were curious about social inequality. 

“We had conversations with our parents about things in society that we wanted to see improve, like how women are perceived in society, and I remember at a young age, we asked our parents, ‘Why is there no female president?’” Emma Salerno said. “Having those conversations with them growing up, I was like, ‘Wait, I want to make an impact in society.’” 

The twins graduated from Rollins College Sunday, May 10, as valedictorians, acquiring degrees in social entrepreneurship. 

“It feels good to be valedictorians together, especially because we worked on a lot of the projects and studied for tests together,” Emma Salerno said. “It’s fun and rewarding that we both get to experience it together, and I’m very proud.” 

Although both Emma and Kate Salerno have degrees in social entrepreneurship, they didn’t always think they would follow the same path. 

At first, the twins were determined to forge their own paths, but after realizing they have similar passions, they decided to travel the road to college and their careers together. 

They both love the idea of business for a social impact. 

“It’s the business for the social impact aspect — not just business for profitability, but looking at it through that triple bottom line perspective, like economic, social and environmental sustainability,” Kate Salerno said. “We both love the idea of using business to help people.” 

And that’s what they studied at Rollins College. 

While they face the everyday challenge of being seen as identical twins rather than individuals, they are grateful that wasn’t the case at Rollins College. Although they chose to follow the same path, professors, classmates and friends saw them not as one but as two women who are dedicated to go above and beyond to help society. 

They see Kate Salerno’s fieriness and Emma Salerno’s empathy. 

At Rollins, they worked with Professor Ruonan Zhang in the communications department for the school’s Student-Faculty Collaborative Research Program and studied the intersection of artificial intelligence, marketing and education. 

Through their hard work, they went to Las Vegas to present their research and won the Top Tier Paper award. 

This accomplishment furthered what they already knew: They can make an impact if they put in the work, dedication and interest into their projects. 

Being a part of their sorority also was important in their development and achievement of becoming valedictorians. 

“I was president of my sorority, and I feel like they pushed me to be a confident woman when I was surrounded by women that inspired me every day, and so Rollins has given me that foundation to have core friendships that I’m so happy about,” Emma Salerno said. “We were both much shyer, much more timid when we first came to Rollins. I’ve definitely seen growth throughout my time here.” 

Kate Salerno served as co-president of Tars Pantry, the campus’ food pantry, and Emma Salerno worked as the operations coordinator of the Student Support Foundation, which not only runs the food pantry but also reviews grants and disperses money to students. 

“We raised (more than) $14,000 to give back,” Emma Salerno said. 

Now, Emma and Kate Salerno both are working toward their master’s degrees in marketing and business analytics, with another graduation to come in May 2027. 

“It’s like double the excitement,” Kate Salerno said. 

That love for business stems from Windermere Preparatory School’s International Baccalaureate program, where Emma and Kate Salerno first discovered business for a social impact. 

“That was the best part — getting to learn so many different subjects and be surrounded by teachers who really taught like they were professors and at a higher academic level,” Emma Salerno said. “Getting to do business in high school already and do SL Business Management, that was probably one of my favorite memories of Windermere Prep.” 

While in the program, Kate and Emma Salerno were able to help women access menstrual products in the school’s dorm program through their Creativity, Activity and Service project. 

As recent graduates, their goal is to work in management or sustainability consulting, helping with team coordination and tackling everyday problems at one of the big four management consulting firms: Deloitte, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young and KPGM. 

Most important, they want to make a positive impact through their work, rather that be through sustainability, social empowerment or even their own company one day. 

“I would love to help businesses see the benefit of sustainability,” Emma Salerno said. 

Currently, they are interning at CenterPoint Group, a Windermere  business-management consulting firm. Their tasks are to help with strategy, supply chain and procurement operations to get some quantitative experience. 

Emma Salerno also has a different internship with Align Business Consulting later in the summer, helping the company with their marketing strategy through AI incorporation. 

As each other’s best friends, they’re proud of their accomplishments and all they have yet to achieve. 

“I always have her to motivate me,” Kate Salerno said of her twin. “If I’m having a bad day or an off day, she’s always there. She’s my built-in buddy.”