Many students at La Salle have siblings, and some even have twins, but there is only one set of triplets. These three students not only share a birthday, but also many hobbies and activities that they often find themselves doing together.
Freshmen Lucas, Nick, and Jackson Hawkins are brothers at La Salle who were all born on Nov. 9, 2008. Lucas, the oldest of the three, is older than Nick by two minutes and older than Jack by four minutes.
As triplets, they get compared to or grouped together every now and then, which garners mixed reactions from them. Jackson and Lucas don’t feel bothered by it, but Nick does not share the same opinion as his brothers. “It’s kind of annoying,” Nick said.
While they’re rarely mistaken for each other because of their distinct hair styles, it does happen occasionally. Lucas mentioned that even their father occasionally confuses their names.
Hawkins has become a well known last name at La Salle, as their father, Monty Hawkins, has been the coach of the boys soccer team for the past three years, and hit the milestone of 200 career wins last season. Soccer is also a family affair for the triplets, as both Lucas and Nick both saw varsity playing time while Jackson was a JV starter. “All of us [being] on the same soccer team was always pretty fun,” Lucas said.
They all enjoy being triplets and each enjoy having two siblings to ensure they always have a companion by their side. However, according to Nick, this built-in companionship comes with some drawbacks. “It’s the worst and best part,” he said. The other two expressed appreciation for this dynamic. Jackson particularly appreciates “always having a friend,” he said. “There’s always someone there.”
They love to spend time together in school and are often walking and laughing together in the halls, but this was not always the case. In elementary and middle school, there were times they weren’t in the same schools as each other, which wasn’t always a bad thing. “We saw them at home, but at school [it was] kind of relaxing,” Lucas said. Despite this, the triplets now enjoy attending high school together at La Salle.
These three also find themselves enjoying each other’s company in many hobbies and activities that they do together such as soccer and fishing. “We have our own boat and we go fishing, all three of us, with our friends,” Lucas said.
All three triplets expressed a lack of any unique bond exclusive to twins or triplets. “It’s just like [a] regular brotherhood connection,” Nick said. As a result, the telepathic connections and mind-reading portrayed in movies and on TV are false.
Despite their close connection, being a triplet is not the main focus of their lives. “You don’t really notice, you don’t really think about you being a triplet,” Nick said.
