Hard-working twins accepted to a combined 56 colleges, earn $1.6 million in scholarships

A pair of Chicago-area high school seniors are getting national attention after they were accepted to a combined 56 colleges and offered $1.6 million in scholarships.

The story of twins Shaprice and Deprice Hunt started gaining traction on social media after Kemitashi Austin shared a conversation she had with Shaprice Hunt that listed the 56 colleges that accepted her and her sibling.

According to Deprice Hunt, his sister was accepted into 35 colleges -- two of which offered her full rides, five of which wanted her to play basketball -- and offered $1.3 million in scholarships. For his part, Deprice Hunt was accepted in to 27 schools, two of which offered full rides, and earned $300,000 in scholarships.

"I was getting all these acceptance letters, I thought, wow - I must be a really good student," Shaprice Hunt told WGN. "I'm still in shock."

Deprice Hunt said he was heavily motivated by his sister's work ethic.

"When she worked hard, I worked hard," he wrote in a social media post. "I was her support. Now we both are being rewarded for our accomplishments."

Deprice Hunt told The Huffington Post he decided to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta and planned to study performing arts and political science.

Shaprice Hunt was still deciding between multiple universities but planned to study education and psychology.

WSBTV