The Pike Triplets Have Arrived
As the three students arrive and sit down together in a sunny corner of the Lethbridge Lodge, their family relationship is immediately obvious. Kassandra, Courtney and Adrian Pike are all tall, blond and thin, with lovely, almond-shaped blue eyes and long eyelashes. These siblings, born within minutes of each other 19 years ago, and nearly inseparable as children and teens, are now beginning their college lives together on the same small campus.
“When most kids go to college, they have to leave their families, but we still have that connection. We can go talk to a brother or sister anytime,” says Kassandra, who emerges as the trio's lead spokesperson. “We have the best of both worlds. We were born together and get to grow up together.”
The Pike triplets didn't necessarily plan it that way. Kassandra and Courtney, who are also mirror identical twins with the same DNA, knew they wanted to attend college together. Adrian was more open to going off on his own for the right opportunity to both study athletic training and play basketball.
“Colby-Sawyer was one of the first schools we looked at, and we saw other schools together—like one in Vermont and another in New Hampshire,” Kassandra says. “I remember on the car ride home from one of them we were talking and we all agreed: it just felt better at Colby-Sawyer.”
Adrian found he could pursue athletic training and play sports at Colby-Sawyer, a combination that some schools don't allow due to the major's demanding requirements. Courtney and Kassandra were drawn to Colby-Sawyer's small size, its close proximity to their hometown of Fairlee, Vermont, and the promise of a friendly community and accessible faculty.
“If you grow up in a small town, you like being part of a community. We wanted to keep that community feeling,” says Kassandra. “The three of us were pretty much adored in our town, and we left our footprints,” Courtney adds. “We want to do that here at Colby-Sawyer, slowly but surely.”
We Are One
The Pike triplets are used to people's curiosity and attention, and they are amused by and well prepared to respond to the constant questions that come their way.
“I'm the athlete, Courtney's the brain, and Kassandra has the social skills,” Adrian says, neatly summarizing how they differ. Kassandra jumps in to elaborate. “All three of us have brains; we wouldn't be here otherwise. But when Courtney sits down to study, everything has to be totally silent. Adrian is very easy-going—'I'll get it done when I get it done.' I'm like my dad. I have that charm and like to talk. We have all these separate qualities, but we make up only one person: we're really one being.”
“We are one,” Adrian echoes, with a nod. “I can look at them and know what they're thinking. They'll be thinking of a song and I'll start whistling it.” Kassandra adds, “We all have the same drive to be successful, whether it's working with an athlete, treating a sick dog, or talking to a patient...” Courtney quietly interjects: “That's what sets us apart. We have this drive to be involved, whether it's to put a smile on a friend's face or to be part of clubs or teams or student government.”
The triplets have always talked to each other about their aspirations, whether it was to walk on the moon, take care of ailing animals, or play professional sports. “One thing has remained consistent; we were always going to be there for each other,” Kassandra concludes.
Time for Transitions
While sibling rivalries arise now and then, the triplets seem comfortable with the notion they are all “one being” and separate individuals with unique personalities and character traits. They interrupt and yield to each other constantly in conversation without a hint of tension or competitiveness. It's as if they depend on each other to articulate their shared thoughts.
The Pikes are also close to their older brother Nicholas, who was two years old when the triplets were born. He was quickly pressed into family service. “All of a sudden our parents had four kids,” Kassandra explains, “so they raised us to depend on each other. Nick would help diaper us on this conveyor belt system they had, and he helped to keep us in line. He grew up quickly; his toys became our toys.”
In small-town Vermont, the Pike children roamed freely in the woods, making forts, fishing with their hands in the nearby river, and pilfering raspberries from neighbors' yards. Adrian became a standout athlete in basketball and soccer, while Courtney was drawn to caring for animals and dreamed of living on a farm. Kassandra was growing into a natural leader with a strong desire to help people in need and understand the deeper meaning of the choices people make about their lives.
As they transition into college and adulthood, the triplets' early proclivities are leading them in positive and somewhat predictable directions. In high school, Adrian knew he wanted a career in athletic training, and he took classes in biology, kinesiology and chemistry to move toward that goal. In his first year at Colby-Sawyer, he's taking core courses in the Exercise and Sport Sciences Department and playing recreational sports, and next year he hopes to compete on Chargers' intercollegiate teams.
“I see myself graduating as an athletic trainer and would really like to join a professional team and help the athletes,” Adrian explains. He's played many sports—golf, soccer, baseball and basketball— and would still like to compete on a professional team, although he's not sure he has the requisite level of skill. “I'd like to play on a European team. I just want to feel what it's like to be part of that culture,” he says.
Yet, Adrian struggled in his first semester to adjust to the heavy demands of a full course load. major required him to take courses in biology and exercise and sport sciences, in addition to his first-year writing, Pathway and Stepping Stone classes. “It was a rough transition when I first came here,” he admits. “It's taken a full semester, but now I feel comfortable.”
Jennifer Austin, assistant professor of Exercise and Sport Sciences and Adrian's teacher and advisor, says that many freshmen, especially those coming into a “curriculum-tight program” such as athletic training, flounder at first. “The transition is more difficult for some who feel 'out of their element' with the extreme variety of coursework. With that said, I've seen a great turnaround in Adrian this semester,” she adds. “He's certainly quiet and reserved, but he's not afraid to step up and offer solutions or questions during class. He appears to be motivated to be successful, and from my first impression in a classroom environment, he seems to be finding his place on campus.”
As college roommates and best friends, Kassandra and Courtney's daily lives are the most intimately intertwined. They served as the president and vice president of their high school, and immediately sought to serve in the Student Government Association at Colby-Sawyer as well. Kassandra was elected as president and Courtney as a senator for the Class of 2012, and the sisters belong to both the dance and philosophy clubs and share the same set of friends.
Despite their physical similarities and shared interests, the sisters have distinctively different personalities and life goals. Kassandra is verbal and assertive, while Courtney is more quiet and introspective. Both are drawn to the helping professions: Kassandra plans to study Psychology and become a therapist, while Courtney is pursuing Biology on the pre-veterinarian track.
Awakening the Citizen Leader was the right Pathway seminar for Kassandra, who hoped to sharpen her skills and learn about aspects of leadership she hadn't gained yet from experience. She modestly describes her leadership style as “slim to none,” explaining that she doesn't seek power, but rather, to empower others; she likes to be in a position to give people choices and help them discern which direction would benefit them most.
Associate Dean of Student Development Robin Davis works closely with Kassandra in her role as president and was her Pathway teacher. “Kassandra is definitely interested in growing and learning. She believes that everyone has leadership potential, and she also believes that leadership involves helping others—so, not leading for positional power but to help others grow.”
As president for the Class of 2012, Kassandra is working with her classmates to establish class unity and identity, according to Davis, and she was particularly impressed when Kassandra asked early on, “What does SGA do, exactly?” “Most students, and certainly not first-year students, would not have the courage to ask a bunch of upperclassmen, 'what is it that you do for students.' I think that shows where her passion lies—with students and with making the Colby-Sawyer experience better for all students.”
Craig Greenman, the assistant professor of Humanities who advises the Philosophy Club, describes Kassandra and Courtney Pike as “strong, confident women.” He says, “They engage in class discussions and are confident enough to honestly sum up their understandings of difficult texts.”
Courtney, the triplet who yearns at times for the simpler, idyllic days of her childhood, chose the Long and Winding Road: Emerging Adulthood as her Pathway course. In this seminar, students reflect on the difficult transitions between adolescence and adulthood. She seems to struggle a bit more with the inevitable prospect of physical separation from her siblings and her parents.
“It was hard at first when I was here at Orientation. It didn't hit me until my parents left and I was in my room unpacking my stuff,” she said.” I'm very family orientated and used to having my parents in my life, so it was kind of a shock.” And when Kassandra began a new close friendship and started to “drift a little” from her, Courtney became anxious. “There was a transition,” she admits. “We're not always going to be together. That's something we have to realize. We have to let each other do our own thing. The issue of growing apart has become a bigger deal in college than in high school.”
Adrian, whom his sisters say they look up to and can count on for protection, pipes up with his reassuring assessment. “We're not always going to be around each other, but we'll always be there for each other.”
Finding a New Home
As they begin their second semester at Colby-Sawyer, the Pike triplets are settling in and beginning to reflect on how well their early impressions and expectations of college life match the daily reality.
“Colby- Sawyer makes you feel like you're home,” says Courtney. “My mother will call and ask, 'when are you coming home,' and I say, I am home. She doesn't like that, but that's how I feel. I like the fact that professors really talk to you. You can just walk up and talk to them like friends and family. I like that you can walk into a classroom not just to learn but also to make friendships. Professors should be there as another form of support; they should not just be a teacher, but also a friend and mentor.”
Kassandra agrees. “If I'd come to Colby-Sawyer and found professors weren't that way, I would have transferred. You're not just a number here; you feel part of the community.” Courtney intervenes: “The faculty are pretty much necessary to your success...” and Kassandra concludes “and they're here not just to teach but to empower students.”
Adrian is feeling more confident about his studies and has no trouble fitting in socially. “A big thing for me is friends, doing things with them,” he says. “I like how easy it is to make friends here. People are social—they're not afraid to come up to you.”
As she often does, Kassandra speaks for her siblings when she says, “People know us as triplets, but individually we want to make our own marks. Even though we're triplets, I also like to be appreciated as an individual. But it's kind of cute how people's eyes light up when they see us. With us, you get the whole package. Colby- Sawyer was lucky: buy one, get two free! It's a win-win situation.”
-Kimberly Swick Slover
