Judy Putnam: Sisters' success is triple sweet

• Alma High School valedictorians %28all 14%29 selected quotes to fit themes for their joint valedictory address.
• Zoey%3A %22Follow your passion. Follow your heart%2C and the things you need will come.%22 - Elizabeth Taylor
• Abby%3A %22The moment you doubt whether you can fly%2C you cease for ever to be able to do it.%22 - from Peter Pan by J.M Barrie
• Seraphina%3A %22Nothing worth having was ever achieved without effort.%22 - Teddy Roosevelt

ALMA – Three cakes. One party.

Triplets Abby, Seraphina and Zoey Provenzano will celebrate their high school graduation with a party Saturday, and all three will be recognized as valedictorians Sunday at the Alma High School graduation ceremonies. The trio are among 14 seniors who earned perfect grades to share valedictorian status.

I caught up with the sisters and their parents, Jeff and Gina, in Alma last week as the family prepped for a busy week leading up to a graduation party and ceremony. The idea of "three cakes — one party" is typical of how their parents recognize the triplets' individuality but cope with having multiple children in the same grade.

Gina Provenzano said raising triplets, who are not identical but certainly look like sisters, was often a balancing act as all three are competitive: "You're always consoling two as you're congratulating one. That is hard."

Thankfully for the family harmony, all three pulled off a 4.0 GPA, scored 32 on their ACTs and were accepted into the school of their choice — the University of Michigan.

The only tense moment came when first Zoey and then Abby were notified via smart phones of their acceptance at U of M while Christmas shopping. Seraphina had to wait a long, long 15 minutes before her news came through.

"It's one of the struggles of being a triplet," Seraphina said. "I just had to wait."

The triplets, who turned 18 on May 6, say they are very different. Zoey always gets things done the fastest while Seraphina takes her time with assignments and Abby falls in the middle. But all three turned out to be good students and academics came easily.

"It was something we wanted so we always did our assignments," Abby, the oldest triplet said. (Asked if she is the bossy one, Gina says, "They're all bossy.")

Alma High School Principal Don Everhart said the triplets are part of a high-achieving class. He said out of 130 students, 13 had ACT scores of 30 or higher, which is considered in the top 5% of scores.

"It's an extraordinary class," he said. About the triplets: "They're unique individuals who have been sharing the limelight but who deserve it individually."

Though all three are headed to Ann Arbor in the fall, they are preparing to go their separate ways for the first time as they select different dorms and programs at the campus.

Zoey likes to sing and wants to attend business school. Abby likes dance and theater and is a pre-med major. Seraphina plays the bass and trombone and is a runner, though that was sidetracked by hip surgeries her senior year. She wants to become a physical therapist.

Zoey was hoping for a smaller college than U of M but she found her niche in the Martha Cook dorm, an all-women dorm where old-fashioned traditions such as Friday teas are held.

"It will be small. I'll have a nice little family on campus. I hope it's awesome," she said. Her sisters were definitely not interested, Zoey laughed.

Seraphina is waiting to hear if she's accepted into a residential program called Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program at Mosher-Jordan Hall while Abby has applied to the Health Sciences Scholars program at Couzens Hall.

Being on the same calendar will have its advantages and the three plan to see each other on campus.

Seraphina joked: "If they try to ignore me, I'll just show up." Abby added, "Whoever has the best food — we'll show up there."

The triplets, who have no other siblings, were delivered nearly full term, at 36 weeks. Multiples face higher health risks at birth but all three were healthy.

The couple is from Michigan — he's from Sterling Heights, she's from Hudson — and they met as undergraduates. They both graduated from U of M in 1991 and married right after college.

The girls came along six years later.

Jeff Provenzano summed it up: "One day we had two incomes and two people. The next day we had one income and five people."

The family moved from Chicago for a quieter pace in Maine, then returned to Michigan two years ago where Jeff is the chief financial officer for MidMichigan Health, a Midland-based health care system affiliated with the University of Michigan.

Like most parents preparing to launch their kids from the nest, the Provenzanos have mixed feelings. Jeff said he's enjoying their pre-college excitement. "It's neat," he said.

Gina, a music teacher and conductor who will become the artistic director and conductor of the Midland Community Orchestra in the fall, added: "At the same time, it's very sad. It's a little overwhelming for me."

Judy Putnam is a columnist for the Lansing State Journal. Email her at jputnam@lsj.com, call 267-1304 or write to 120 E. Lenawee St., Lansing, MI 48919. You can also find her at www.facebook.com/judyputnam and on Twitter @ JudyPutnam.