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Divide and conquer

By Andrew Brodzeller, Arts ’05

The Brigman triplets with their mom. Top row (from left to right): Blake, Elyise and Trish. Bottom row: Cara.

When triplets Blake, Cara and Elyise Brigman started at Marquette in 2008, their oldest brother, Garrett, then a senior, gave them advice about how to make the most of their college experience. It’s advice that served them well, and now they’re preparing for Commencement on Sunday, May 20, 2012.

Blake, Cara and Elyise — from Elm Grove, Wis. — are three of nearly 1,250 undergraduates and more than 700 graduate and professional students who will receive their diplomas. 

With all three Brigmans graduating from different colleges, the biggest question for the family was who would attend which ceremonies.

How would they decide? Their mom, Trish, chose the most diplomatic way possible and had the triplets draw family member’s names from a hat.

One by one, Blake, Cara and Elyise each pulled a small slip of paper. Their mom, aunt and oldest brother Garrett, Eng ’09, will be at the Milwaukee Theatre to watch Blake graduate from the College of Business Administration.

Their dad, Jeff, and an aunt and uncle will head to MATC’s Colley Auditorium to attend the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication ceremony for Elyise.

The triplets’ older brother, Logan, Arts ’10, and two uncles who are engineers will go to the Frontier Airlines Center for the College of Engineering ceremony, where Cara will be the student speaker. 

Cara was selected as student speaker a couple of weeks after the names were drawn, but that hasn’t changed their plans. “It’s set in stone,” Blake says.

Though the triplets are comfortable with the situation, Cara says it has been harder for her roommates and friends to accept. They have been pressuring Blake to let his mom switch. But for Cara, that’s not an option. “My graduation isn’t more important just because I’m speaking for three minutes,” she says. “We’re all proud of each other.” Logan, of course, will record Cara’s speech so everyone can watch it later.   

Note: The all-university ceremony, which will feature Hank Aaron as the keynote speaker, begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be webcast live.