Saturday, May 16, 2009

Garcia triplets excell at Los Lunas High, ready to make their way at three colleges

Clara Garcia News-Bulletin Staff Writer; cgarcia@news-bulletin.com

Bosque Farms Three diaper changes. Three bikes. Three after-school activities. And now, three separate college tuitions.

Everything has come in sets of three for the last 18 years for Bosque Farms residents Martin and Denise Garcia, parents of triplets.

And come Saturday, the parents will add one more experience to their list: three diplomas. Their children, Estevan, Adan and Avila will all graduate from Los Lunas High School.

These aren't your everyday set of triplets — they're intelligent, they're charming and they're all graduating as leaders of their school as well as of the community. While the triplets share the same birthday and will be basking in the same glow at the commencement ceremonies on Saturday, they're by no means the same person.

Estevan is the farmer of the family; Adan is, well, the brains of the bunch; and Avila is standout soccer player.

When they were 4 months old, the triplets were each displaying their own individual personalities. Estevan, the eldest, was described as easy going, while Adan was sensitive and got his feelings hurt. Avila, the only girl, was said to be "the one with the temper."

Their nurses at the hospital said Estevan was going to the peacemaker of the three, while Adan was described as being very wise and Avila was "going to be full of spunk."

Now 18 years later, their parents say that while some of those traits still remain, others have long been outgrown. Denise says Estevan is still the easiest-going while Avila doesn't really have a temper. And Adan, who is ranked No. 1 in his graduating class, has fulfilled his nurse's prophecy that he's the wisest of the three.

"They're all natural leaders," said their proud mother, Denise. "I think we always expected them to be leaders, to know who they were and to make the right decisions.

"We just tried to teach them how to be responsible people, to be responsible citizens, to be honest and to stay true to themselves," said Martin. "We've just tried to guide them through and understand between right and wrong."

Since the day the triplets were born, the Garcia family has remained very close. Holding to their traditions, their Catholic faith and the love they share for one another, Martin and Denise have a rule that they eat dinner together every evening — regardless of whether it's at 9 p.m. after everyone is home from one activity or another.

The family also sings together in the church choir at Our Lady of Guadalupe.

While there was no getting around the fact that they had triplets, Martin and Denise say they were, and are still, adamant that their children know and feel that each one is special and loved.

"They're our children, and they complete our lives," Martin said.

"You're constantly reminded that they're a miracle because they were born very small and with health conditions," Denise said. "I think a lot of people don't believe what a joy it's been and how easy they really were. We really kept a routine because it would have been really chaotic if we didn't."

One of the challenges that the Garcias have had to deal with over the years is being able to spend equal time with each child. They said it's been all about balance.

"If you don't always get the quantity, you try and get the quality," Denise said. "You take them out for little dates ... and do whatever their special thing is."

Estevan — The Farmer

With guidance from their parents, all three Garcia children have become pillars of the community and leaders in their school. Estevan is president of the Los Lunas Future Farmers of America Chapter. One of his most recent accomplishments was spearheading and presenting an idea, which was ultimately approved by the school board, to establish an Ag-Farm on a 30-acre piece of land behind Daniel Fernandez Intermediate School as an agricultural workshop.

The farm provides students with a "learning by doing" educational technique, and related internships provide a real-world experience. Students would market and sell their crops, with a manager from both Los Lunas and Valencia high schools coordinating the project.

Being a FFA leader has meant a lot to Estevan.

"I feel like it's a good organization that I feel strongly about and believe in the leadership qualities I've gained from it," he said. "I've had a few friends come up to me and tell me that I'm a role model, and that's a really good feeling."

Estevan, who has won many belt buckles at the county and state fairs, will be leaving New Mexico this fall when he starts his college career at West Texas A & M. He plans on majoring in animal science in hopes of one day becoming a veterinarian.

Growing up as a triplet has been like growing up with two best friends, Estevan said. It's not clear whether any of the three realize how hard it's going to be leaving home and one another, Estevan, much like his brother and sister, is elated that he will soon start on a new path.

"I'm excited to graduate and start a whole new chapter of our lives," Estevan said. "It'll be nice and different to be known as yourself and not necessarily as a triplet. We've gone our whole lives being known as the triplets or either someone else's brother."

While anticipating his freedom and independence, Estevan said he is going to definitely miss his brother and sister as well as his parents.

"I'm sure I'll miss them, but I'll only be four and a half hours from home, so if I want to jump in the truck and come home, it's not like a long drive," he said. "It'll be different being away, but I don't think it'll be unbearable."

Adan — The Brain

Along with being class valedictorian, Adan, the middle child, has been the 2009 class president for the last three years and is a National Hispanic Scholar, a National Merit Commended Scholar and a member of the school's National Honor Society. In between studying, Adan also makes time as a staff reporter for the school's newspaper.

This fall, Adan will start classes at the University of Arizona in Tuscan. His plans are to major in political science and enter the pre-law program. Adan's ultimate goal is to one day be elected to public office. He says he'll return to his home state and hopefully have the opportunity to run for a seat in the U.S. Senate.

Adan has aspired to become valedictorian ever since he was in elementary school. His tenacity for learning and to reach his ultimate goal has given him the strength to succeed.

"I've always just done good in class, so it wasn't the hardest thing for me — it hasn't been easy in any way — but it wasn't the hardest thing for me to achieve," Adan said of reaching his goal to be top of his class. "As class president, I've just always been naturally inclined to helping people and speaking out for people — it's just something that was very natural for me."

Adan, like his two siblings, is looking forward to his future, but says he'll miss his family and his home.

"It's going to be a really big change for me because I'm probably the one that's home the most," Adan said. "It's going to be very different because most of the time I have one of them with me, and so not having one around is going to be different."

Adan said being a triplet has been a great experience. He said he's always had a best friend, someone to always play with and someone to always talk to.

Despite all of his accomplishments, exceptional grades and public service deeds, Adan had one last feat to accomplish — becoming prom king earlier this month. Not only was he elected king, his sister, Avila, was chosen prom queen. This was the first time in Los Lunas High School history that a brother and sister won the coveted titles.

Avila — The Athlete

Avila, a star soccer player at Los Lunas High School, made the all-state Class 5A second team in both her junior and senior seasons. She was the mainstay of the Tiger defense as the sweeper.

Not only is Avila a star athlete, she's also a member of the National Honor Society, Future Farmers of America and has been the 2009 class vice president for all four years of high school.

She will be leaving this fall to attend Colorado State University on a soccer scholorship and will be majoring in civil engineering.

"I'm going to follow in my dad's footsteps," she said.

As the only girl — and the youngest of the three — Avila said she couldn't necessarily say that she disliked her situation. In fact, she says she actually relished her position.

"I don't think I could have dealt with another girl — I've always kind of been the princess," Avila joked. "Living with two brothers, I've been able to relate to boys better."

While joking that she was the "princess" of the family, Avila said that growing with two brothers guided her to become a tomboy.

"I was a pretty big tomboy — I was really into sports, and I still am," she said. "I was a tomboy until I was in eighth grade, but I really wasn't into trucks and tractors.

"But I do love working on cars, and I don't mind getting dirty. I never wanted to be treated like a girl."

Avila admitted that she is going to miss her family immensely when she leaves for college this fall. She says she'll miss their talks and the fact that Adan picks out all her outfits because she can't match her clothes.

Being the only girl has had its ups and downs, Avila says of her two brothers. She's loved having siblings her age and being able to play with them whenever she wanted.

"It's been nice to be able to have two best friends forever, but at times it gets rough because we're known as 'the triplets,'" she said sitting between her two brothers. "Now, we can be known as individual people, because people expect us to be very similar, and the fact is we're all very opposite. We have very different personalities."

As the triplets are experiencing one of many milestones in their lives, their parents are very proud of each one. They're confident that Estevan, Adan and Avila are ready for what the world has to offer and will be able to continue to excel at life.

"It's hard to talk about them with your friends or your peers at work without feeling that you're bragging about them," Martin said. "A year ago, we wondered if they were ready to graduate from high school and move on to college. But today, there's no doubt in our minds — they're ready to fly the nest — as much as we hate it."

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