Three Sisters Take Different Paths at Duke

As children, triplet Shannon Nelson says that people had a tendency to refer to her and her two sisters as a single unit, as though they were one person. Or they would categorize them as "the independent one" or the "quiet one."

But the sisters -- Deborah, Charisma and Shannon -- who graduated together on Sunday, were able to find their own identities on Duke's campus.

Cultural anthropology major Deborah plans to work as a communications skills instructor at a university in Ankara, Turkey for a year before pursuing a graduate degree; Charisma, an international comparative studies major, will do a stint with AmeriCorps prior to attending grad school; and economics major Shannon will begin a full-time position as an investment analyst in New York City.

The triplets are believed to be the first set of African-American triplets to graduate from Duke. An older brother, Joshua Nelson, '05, spoke highly of Duke and influenced his younger sisters to attend. (An older sister, Christina, was also accepted to Duke but chose to attend another school.)

"Duke's size led me to believe it would be small enough for us to build our friendship into adulthood, yet large enough for us to enjoy life as individuals," Shannon says. "We have all grown so much in the last four years. I don't think we would know one another as well if we'd gone to different universities."

Deborah had reservations about attending the same school as her sisters, thinking classmates may not appreciate their individuality, but she says bringing half her family to school with her as a first-year student alleviated any homesickness. The triplets also decided not to room with each other until senior year.

"We talked extensively about our college decision so that none of us would feel compelled to attend a school just because it was the top choice of one or two of us," Deborah says.

Shannon says she explored other aspects of her identity at Duke, such as her love for writing, piano and karate, apart from her sisters.

"I am confident in who I am becoming, and being a triplet is still balanced as a part of my individual identity but it is in a healthy, enriching way," she says. Shannon looks forward to spending one last summer with her sisters at Duke before they part ways for the "next stage of our lives."