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Triplets Abby, Maricela, and Carlie Montanez graduated from high school together and earned full scholarships to college
The triplets, who were born prematurely and spent time in the NICU, said the best part of high school was spending it alongside their sisters
“I really wish everyone had the experience to go to high with their sisters because they really are truly my best friends,” Mari told Fox 7 Austin
Three triplets from Texas are heading off to college after securing full scholarships.
Abby, Maricela and Carlie Montanez recently celebrated a major milestone when they walked the stage at their Del Valle, Texas graduation. At the pivotal moment, the triplets reminisced on high school as a site of their profound bond, per Fox 7 Austin, and expressed excitement at the chance to forge their own paths in college, which each will attend on a full scholarship.
“Since we were triplets, I was born first, so I got the ‘A’ name,” Abby told the local station, just ahead of their graduation ceremony. “Mari was supposed to get the ‘B’ name, but my mom was like, ‘a Bianca or a Briana didn’t fit her,’ and then Carlie got a ‘C’ name.”
From their premature births, Mari and Carlie both had lung and heart problems, while Abby was simply underweight, the eldest sister said. Their conditions landed them in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for the earliest days of their sisterhood.
By the time the triplets reached high school, they were inseparable, they told Fox 7 Austin. They always had friends right beside them, Mari said.
“I really wish everyone had the experience to go to high with their sisters because they really are truly my best friends,” Mari said. “And I couldn’t ask for anything better.”
In the next step in their education, both Abby and Maricela plan on studying health science. Mari is particularly passionate about the brain, and she wants to be able to use her future degree to “be there to help others,” she said. Both will attend the University of Texas at San Antonio come the fall.
Carlie intends to study manufacturing engineering in college, she said, and unlike her sisters, she’ll attend Texas State University to pursue her degree.
The triplets’ acceptances to their respective colleges are even more auspicious, given that they each earned full scholarships to cover their tuition, they said, and their parents are especially thrilled for them.
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The Montanez sisters have always pushed each other to do their best in school, and though that process will look different in college, each is determined to maintain their sisterly support in this next stage.
“We’re competitive, but it is also a good thing because we push each other to actually learn more things, and we’ll correct each other when they’re wrong or anything like that, and to go into college, hopefully it’s going to be the same. I hope we get to still push each other,” said Abby.
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