Once upon a time, siblings went almost everywhere together, including school. For the Park triplets, sophomores Ellen, Lisa and Linda, “once upon a time” ended after elementary school.

Currently, Ellen is here at Blake, Linda goes to Springbrook, and Lisa goes to Paint Branch. Even so, they remain close with each other and their parents continue to be extremely supportive of them and their individuality. Says Ellen, “We usually depended on each other as friends, but then we each had to make friends of our own.”

“In elementary school we didn’t really have any friends,” adds Ellen. Towards the end of elementary school, their parents decided it was best to split them up. “We … picked out of a hat and that was… like God’s way of deciding which school to go to.”

At first, the change in surroundings was difficult for the girls. Says Lisa, “In the beginning I didn’t know how to bond with others, but I got used to it.”

“I made a good choice going to Paint Branch,” says Lisa. Paint Branch specializes in media and science, which was well suited for Lisa. “I want to be a doctor when I grow up, so [Paint Branch] has the right classes for that.” She is not the only one of the triplets, however, who is thinking about a future in medicine.

“I am thinking [about] a medical career so I was thinking of Paint Branch,” says Ellen, “but since my sister Lisa took i; I just decided not to go.” Although Blake was not her first choice, she is happy she ended up here. Having her friends here has been a key factor to why she says she “does not regret going” to Blake.

Ellen believes there are benefits to going to Blake. Says Ellen, “I think there are more programs here that are offered” that aren’t offered at Springbrook and Paint Branch. Also, she believes “Blake is a lot harder” than the other consortium schools. “I think the teachers are harder here, too,” she adds.

Linda is happy at Springbrook, which is known for its International Baccalaureate Program. She has no regrets for going where she did. “If I went to the same school as my sisters,” she adds, “I probably would not have made as many friends.”

Although the triplets have been split up for the last four years, everything has had a positive outcome for them. Adds Linda, “In the end, it all worked out.”