Four Aggie rings. Four caps. Four gowns. Four members of the Texas A&M U. Class of 2010. Four people born as quadruplets on Dec. 14, 1987, became best friends by the time they had taken the final semester of college courses. Agricultural economics major Daniel, communications major Kayla, agricultural leadership and development major Patrick and agricultural economics major Reagan Thompson came to Texas A&M four years ago, and all four of them will graduate Friday.
Each quadruplet has a plan after graduation, and though Daniel will be moving to another state, the siblings plan to keep in touch.
“I will be calling them, and I get some vacation time, so I’ll definitely be flying to see them,” Daniel said. “It will definitely be harder, but I’m planning on seeing them.”
Daniel and Reagan majored in agricultural economics. The two saved money by sharing books and studied together when they shared classes.
“We had a lot of the same classes so it was definitely nice to have a brother that was smarter than me and in the same major,” Reagan said.
The three men said although they lived together throughout college, but they made sure there was plenty of time to hang out with their sister, Kayla, especially during special Aggie events.
“We went to fish camp and impact camp together, football games, tailgates, muster and even all had a class together freshmen year,” Kayla said. “We are not the kind of siblings that are connected at the hip though. People are surprised at how different we are. It has been so fun joining different organizations and getting involved on campus and becoming individuals, while remaining close.”
Though they have found individuality, Patrick said they have grown stronger as siblings and as friends.
“I think coming into college we relied upon our parents a lot for different things — major decisions,” Patrick said. “We’ve matured individually as a quadruple unit. We’ve definitely become closer throughout all our college experience. Their opinions definitely weigh more. They are the first three people I go to.”
The Thompsons expressed appreciation for the bond that comes along with being a quadruplet, but Kayla said there is something extra special about having three siblings her same age.
“We get to experience things together, unlike having an older sibling’s footsteps to follow in,” she said. “So every big moment we get to share, from getting our drivers license, to getting our Aggie rings.”
The siblings said they enjoyed spending time at A&M with each other, but they each mentioned one particular experience they said they will never forget.
“The most special night was the night Reagan got elected as senior yell leader,” Patrick said. “We all huddled up together, talking to one another, pumping Reagan up. I think that kind of symbolized a part of that college experience together and how we grew as individuals and as a family.”
Patrick said seeing his brother named yell leader was one of many great experiences he shared with his siblings.
“Who else can say they got to share the college experience with three other siblings?” he said. “This is a real special time for us. Experiencing such a vital point in our lives together, and growing as a person and having such influences as brothers and sisters is pretty incredible.”
Reagan said getting to spend his time at A&M with his three siblings was rewarding.
“Having the opportunity, getting to go to college with my siblings was a blessing in itself,” he said. “We’re best friends, and that made it so much better. I think every day and everything we got to do together was just awesome.”