VIDEO: Identical twins Manuel and Emmanuel Zuaznabar broke through barriers to achieve their goal of becoming New York City firefighters, and now they're sharing their story of success in hopes of inspiring the next generation.
Coined the "Z brothers," the 29-year-old, half-Dominican half-Cuban twins were born on Staten Island and raised in Brownsville, Brooklyn. They were first generation and grew up in a packed household with little resources.
Manuel said it was actually a toy drive that sparked their interest in becoming firefighters.
"We grew up with immigrant parents. It was a rough upbringing in New York, and we went to a lot of after school programs. And the city had cops help us out, firefighters at toy drives," he told CBS New York's Zinnia Maldonado.