Jerome and Timothy Hughes.  Photo: Rev. Jerome Hughes, Sr.
Jerome and Timothy Hughes. Photo: Rev. Jerome Hughes, Sr.

Two brothers born one year apart. Two distinct career paths with one common goal. Two different personalities with one common bond. Jerome and Timothy Hughes are two young, African American males who have learned that the synergy of two is greater than the power of one.

Jerome and Timothy grew up in Asheville, NC and attended A.C. Reynolds High School. Their father, E. Jerome Hughes, is pastor of The Lord’s Church of Asheville and coordinator of the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program at Asheville High School and SILSA. Their mother, Ruletta Hughes, is Assistant Principal at Isaac Dickson Elementary School.

While in high school, Jerome and Timothy were both National Honor Society Scholars, North Carolina Scholars, and Youth Leadership Asheville graduates. For all four years in high school, Jerome was a varsity point guard, achieving All-Conference recognitions in his junior and senior year. Timothy was involved in National History Day competition, where he placed first in the state and eleventh in the country as a junior. After graduating from Reynolds, Jerome attended UNC Asheville, and Timothy went on to UNC Chapel Hill.

At UNC Asheville Jerome was a Dean’s List student, a Junior Senator for the Student Government Association, a Leadership Asheville intern, and an intern for National Environmental Modeling Analysis Center (NEMAC). In his sophomore year he was selected to participate in a summer program for high-achieving minorities called Sponsors for Educational Opportunities (SEO). Through SEO Jerome interned on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs in the Private Wealth Management division, developing software that would be used to better assist the company’s clients. He also met with prominent corporate figures such as Jamie Diamond (CEO of JP Morgan), Richard Parson (former CEO of Dime Savings Bank), and Lloyd Blankfein (CEO of Goldman Sachs). After graduating from UNC Asheville in 2010 with a degree in Computer Science, Jerome began his career at Goldman Sachs in Salt Lake City, Utah. In addition to his work at Goldman Sachs, Jerome volunteers for a non-profit organization that provides educational assistance to Somalian refugee students.

Timothy majored in History at UNC Chapel Hill, graduating Phi Beta Kappa. At Chapel Hill, Timothy was a Dean’s List student, a Jackson Ambassador for the Office of Admissions, a National Society of Collegiate Scholar, and a Vanguard Scholar. In the summer of his sophomore year, he was one of just 16 students selected from across the country to participate in the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, a prestigious two-summer program in Washington DC for African American college men. Through the Institute Timothy was given the opportunity to intern in Washington, take rigorous courses at Georgetown University, and meet prominent figures including Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Congressman John Lewis, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell.

During his two summers in the program Timothy interned for the National College Access Network and the Children’s Defense Fund. After graduating from UNC Chapel Hill, he was accepted into the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Internship Program, where he interned for NC Congressman G.K. Butterfield. He then went on to Duke Law School where he is currently a second-year student. This past summer he worked for Baker Botts in Washington DC for the first half of the summer and the Smith Anderson Law Firm in Raleigh, NC during the latter half.

Though their passions are different, Jerome and Timothy have always understood the importance of working together. They constantly stress to each other the importance of diligence, hard work, and discipline. Each morning one brother shares an inspirational quote from the Bible to encourage the other brother. Their religious conviction constantly inspires their personal and professional aspirations and is something that continues to keep them close.

This fall Jerome will return to school to obtain a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree, choosing among Emory, UVA, Chapel Hill, and Georgetown. He will also participate in the Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) program, which gives MBA students access to top fortune 500 companies.  In the future he plans on working in investment banking in Charlotte.

This summer Timothy will work at Winston & Strawn L.L.P. in Charlotte, and Smith Anderson in Raleigh. He plans to practice law in North Carolina.

Two brothers, raised in Asheville, determined not to be a statistic, committed to giving back to their community and their home state. Two brothers with one common belief that whenever one wins, they’ve both won.