By William Croyle
Enquirer contributor

WESTWOOD - David Mou entered the world one minute before his identical twin brother, Danny. Score one for David.

Since that day 17 years ago - July 17, 1986 - the high-achieving duo has competed against each other in everything from spelling bees to piano recitals.

David Mou, 17 (left), and his twin brother Danny have been playing the piano for about 10 years. (Tony Jones photo)

Now they are heading to Ivy League schools - Danny to Harvard and David leaning toward Yale. It will be the first time they've been apart, something they are looking forward to.

"I would prefer separation right now," said Danny. "We'd probably end up in a lot of the same classes, and it would be awkward having him in the same classes every day."

David agreed. "It would be nice to not have him around."

Despite their desire to go their separate ways, the Seven Hills Upper School seniors are close friends and each is the other's biggest supporter.

"It's not competition at all. It's all cooperation behind the scenes," David said. "We can think what the other is thinking very well. That's what makes us great partners."

The twins were born in Cincinnati, the only children of Chinese immigrants. They moved to China for second and third grades to learn Chinese, then returned to Cincinnati and attended Carson Montessori School through sixth grade (both skipped fifth grade). After a year at Walnut Hills High School, they transferred to Seven Hills, where they have attended since eighth grade.

Over the years, many competitions have come down to the twins in the finals:

• At age 11, they were the last two contestants in the Carson Montessori spelling bee. Danny prevailed, but only after organizers had to come up with a new vocabulary list after the boys spelled every word correctly on the original.

• At 14, seven years after their first piano lesson, they competed with others for a spot with the Seven Hills Sinfonietta, a small community symphony. In that competition, David emerged victorious, with Danny second.

• At 15, they competed in the prestigious World Piano Competition at Carnegie Hall with more than 200 contestants. The competition featured 12 levels of difficulty, with Danny taking home a bronze medal in Level 8 and David winning the silver medal in Level 9.

"They've clawed away at everything pianistically, achieving what they've achieved through hard work," said Michael Chertock, a keyboardist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and their teacher at the College-Conservatory of Music.

"I don't think I've encountered too many young men as focused as they are."

Their work ethic, the boys say, comes from their parents, John and Sophia, who came to America knowing no English. The couple opened a Chinese restaurant in the late 1980s they sold it a couple years ago when they retired. Both parents declined to be interviewed for this story, preferring the focus stay on their sons.

"My parents are the component that made me who I am today," said Danny, who used to work in the restaurant with his brother. "They taught me how to work hard and not give up."

"They've taught me to love education," David said.

While the twins have often ended up in competition, they've also worked as a team:

• They are tutors at school, editors of the yearbook and members of the cross country team.

• They volunteer at Su Casa Hispanic Ministry Center as English as a Second Language teachers and have organized piano performances for Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and local retirement homes.

David founded his school's debate and music clubs and is a member of the math, Spanish and robotics clubs. He also tutors children at Ronald McDonald House of Greater Cincinnati. His grade-point average is 3.98. Danny is co-president of the Spanish Club, founder and head of the math club, and a member of the debate, robotics and Latin clubs. His GPA is 4.1.

They've spent most of their high school summers away from home, taking college courses at Yale, Harvard and Northwestern.

Everything they have done has been with dedication and focus.

"It's not hard," David said. "You get rid of the TV and video games and useless socializing."

Seven Hills Principal Todd Bland said their intellectual curiosity makes them a joy to watch.

"Their minds operate in a way that many people in the world would like theirs to operate," Bland said. "They are certainly not the norm. They are interested in everything and are very modest and humble about it all."

As for their futures, Danny will attend Harvard in the fall on a scholarship that will offset most of the estimated $40,000 costs per year for tuition, fees and room and board. He is interested in bioengineering, medical research or medicine.

David is undecided on his major, though he said something in biological sciences is a possibility. While he is leaning toward Yale, where he, too, has been offered a "substantial scholarship," he is waiting to hear from Harvard.

While the two could end up together, David said that's unlikely. He loves the Yale campus in New Haven, Conn., and has already made many friends there during summer courses.

But what if he were to choose Harvard?

"It would be OK," said David. "One of the greatest advantages to having a twin brother is having someone you can ask questions to and having someone you can trust."

David Mou

 Honor roll since ninth grade

 All-academic athlete (cross country)

 Cum Laude inductee

 AP Scholar with Distinction

 Spanish National Honor Society inductee

 National Merit Finalist

 Yale Book Award winner

 Ohio Math League award winner

 Horatio Alger scholarship recipient

Danny Mou

 Honor roll since ninth grade

 All-academic athlete

 Cum Laude inductee

 AP Scholar with Distinction

 Spanish National Honor Society inductee

 National Merit Finalist

 Williams Book Award winner

 Frederick Hauck Scholarship for math and science

 Golden Galaxy Award winner for foreign language

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E-mail williamcroyle@yahoo.com