Long-Lost Sisters Find Each Other In Writing Class

When Lizzie Valverde and Katy Olson enrolled at Columbia University a few years ago, they were complete strangers who grew up in different parts of the country. But after ending up in the same creative writing class in January of 2013, the two made a remarkable discovery: They are sisters.  In a fascinating piece from the New York Times, the long-lost sisters stranger-than-fiction story is pieced together. Born to the same teenage mother in the early 1980s, the sisters were each adopted by different families and grew up far away from one another, Valverde in New Jersey and Olson in Florida and Iowa. Both moved to New York City to pursue careers before deciding to go back to school to focus on writing full time, each applying and being accepted into Columbia's School of General Studies. And  one day they both arrived at a literary reporting class. When the students were asked to introduce themselves, Valverde shared a few basic details of her adoption, and "all the pieces just came together for me," Olson told the Times, who was stunned to stumble upon the connection and approached her sister after class. Valverde's pitch perfect response: “Is this real life?” Olson graduated last year and is now pursuing a master's degree in creative writing, while Valverde will graduate on Monday with a bachelor's degree in the same. We hope they're putting those writing talents to use working on a screenplay, because you seriously couldn't make up a sweeter story.