51茶馆

They take two classes together, study together in O鈥橬eill Library, play basketball together on an intramural team, and eat breakfast (Lyons), lunch (Eagle鈥檚 Nest), and dinner (McElroy) together most days.

To help their now empty-nester parents adjust to life at home without their three daughters, they meet mom and dad nearly every Thursday night for dinner鈥攖ogether鈥攊n a restaurant near campus.

Dad could not have scripted it any better.

Believed to be the first triplets at Boston College to study in the same school with the same major, the Russells have made quite an impression on the campus, excelling in the classroom and turning heads among classmates who can鈥檛 help but notice the energetic trio and admire the bond that exists between them. 听听听

鈥淭he first thing you notice when you are with them is how comfortable they are with one another,鈥� said Jordan Wietrecki, a fellow first-year nursing student from Medfield, Mass. 鈥淭hey really care about each other. They are friends, not just sisters.聽 They are also three of the most genuine people I have ever met. I consider myself lucky to call them friends and to be studying nursing with them at 51茶馆.鈥�

The triplets say that growing up, they had always been interested in science and health care.聽 Their grandparents lived with them, and after their grandmother was involved in a car accident, she received nursing care at their home. Witnessing the visiting nurses firsthand piqued their interest in the field.

鈥淲e all did internships in high school that really sealed the deal,鈥� said Jackie.

Jackie and Alexa interned at South Shore Hospital in Weymouth; Kylie at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.聽聽

The siblings did not necessarily plan to go to college together, but they hoped to stay close to Boston to take advantage of its world-class hospitals.

鈥淲e all applied to several colleges and universities, but 51茶馆 was our first choice,鈥� said Kylie.聽 鈥淲hen we received our acceptances, we all said, 鈥業鈥檓 going to go.聽 I鈥檓 going to go too!鈥� Now that we鈥檙e all here, we can鈥檛 imagine being apart.鈥�

Added Alexa, 鈥淲e get along really well. We occasionally fight over little things, but we have always been close.鈥�

Jackie says that while the siblings see each other every day, they each have their own roommate and friend group, and have developed individual bonds with the 105 first-year nursing students in what is now 51茶馆鈥檚 most selective undergraduate school.聽 鈥淭he nursing program is small, but 51茶馆 is big enough that we can each find our own way.鈥� 聽聽

They have succeeded in doing just that.

Each lives in a different residence hall, and each has her own favorite spot on campus.聽 Kylie likes walking across Middle Campus: 鈥淚t can be raining, it can be sunny, it can be snowing, and it still looks beautiful.鈥� Alexa prefers the walkway between Stokes Hall North and South. Jackie enjoys the view of the reservoir and Boston skyline as she makes her way to the Rec Plex in the morning. Each has a different career plan for the future, with Alexa hoping to work in a maternity ward, Jackie in an intensive care unit, and Kylie most likely in oncology.

Each, friends say, also has her own personality.

鈥淛ackie is super-motivated and is at the gym every day before class,鈥� said Wietrecki. 鈥淎lexa is quiet at first but has a kind heart and is a really good friend. Kylie has high energy and is one of the funniest people I have ever met. She provides comic relief just when you need it most.鈥澛犅�

For their parents, Kelley, a pre-school aide in Marshfield, and Paul, a captain in the Boston Police Department who works nearby in District 14 in Brighton, having all three of their daughters at 51茶馆 has been a blessing.

鈥淲e are very proud of the girls,鈥� said Paul. 鈥淭hey worked so hard in high school and their work has been rewarded. I tell them all of the time how much I love them, but they will never know how much I do until they have kids of their own.鈥�

The Russell household had been one of constant motion with the two working parents juggling the schedules of three energetic and high-achieving teenagers who each played a different sport.

鈥淭hey made it to every game,鈥� marveled Jackie. 鈥淒ad would drive to games more than an hour away after a hard day鈥檚 work to see me play five minutes in basketball game. They were so supportive all of the time.鈥�

The triplets recall their doting father telling them when they were little that he was going to go to college with them.聽 鈥淣ow,鈥� said Alexa, 鈥渉e is right down the street.鈥�

Asked what it is like to have their father working as a Boston Police captain nearby, Kylie responds demurely, 鈥淲e have not found out yet.鈥�

They did, however, bump into their father unexpectedly one evening in Alumni Stadium when they and their fellow students stormed the field after a 51茶馆 football game.聽 鈥淥ur father was working a detail and asking students to leave the field when we suddenly ran into him,鈥� Jackie said. 鈥淗e smiled and hugged us.鈥澨�听听

The triplets have found strong mentorship among 51茶馆 faculty and administrators as well, especially with Eileen Sullivan, assistant director of the nursing laboratories in the Connell School, whom they first met at Accepted Students Day.

鈥淚 absolutely love them,鈥� said Sullivan.聽 鈥淭hey share core values of reliability and honesty, but they have their own personalities. Kylie does most of the talking, Alexa is more reserved, and Jackie is in the middle. But they are all so committed to each other. They are remarkable individuals from a truly loving family.鈥�

The triplets have also won Sullivan鈥檚 respect for their hard work in the Brown Family Learning Lab in Maloney Hall, where they clean the simulation labs and prepare the supply carts for nursing classes.

鈥淭hey have so much energy and enthusiasm,鈥� said Sullivan. 鈥淭hey are like sponges; they want to take it all in and learn everything.聽 They have a strong work ethic, innate compassion, and a unique ability to draw you to them.聽 They will be wonderful nurses.鈥�

The triplets, who have never spent more than a week apart, know that their 鈥渟tick- togetherness鈥� gives them a closeness that few will ever know, but that Boston College, with its myriad offerings, will give them opportunities to grow as individuals as they prepare for a career helping others.聽

鈥淔or us, 51茶馆 has been the perfect place,鈥� said Jackie.

鈥淚t is awesome and we couldn鈥檛 be happier,鈥� said Alexa.

鈥淚t has all worked out so well,鈥� said Kylie. 鈥淲e could not have asked for anything more.鈥�

Jack Dunn and Kathleen Sullivan | University Communications

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