High school graduation is a time for celebration — and for a set of triplets in Ohio, it will definitely be one to remember. The three teens — Sadie, Gage, and Caydin Barker — are ending their time at Sebring McKinley High School as co-valedictorians and salutatorian.
“These three are amazing in everything they have done in life so far,” their mother Becky Pusateri-Barker said, according to WMTV.
Caydin and Sadie have been named by the school as co-valedictorians while their brother Gage has been named as salutatorian.
“It was a day full of emotion and the ultimate pride,” Baker explained to The Epoch Times. “Sitting there listening to them give speeches and articulate their gratitude to the amazing teachers at that school was a proud moment. The honor stripes they wore on their gown, the medal around their neck … just gave more proof of all the hard work they had put in during their school career.”
“Graduation day was celebrated with all the family surrounding them,” she added. “We hugged, laughed, and shed many tears on this day.”
The triplets were born prematurely at St. Elizabeth Hospital in Youngstown, Ohio, on September 30, 2004, at 34 weeks of gestation. They were originally a set of quadruplets, but tragically, one sibling passed away in the womb between 16 and 18 weeks.
Baker explained that it was first-born Gage that kicked off the early labor and a long stay in the hospital. The surviving babies remained in the hospital for nearly three months following their births.
“Those 83 days I spent in the hospital were some of the most challenging days I have ever had, but I wouldn’t change a thing, because it gave me three of the most amazing children I could [have] ever hoped for,” Barker told The Epoch Times. “They have been our biggest blessing and our greatest reward.”
Sadie plans to attend law school after studying chemical engineering at the University of Cincinnati (UC). Caydin will also be attending UC to study electrical engineering and business.
Eldest triplet Gage is planning to attend Electrical Lineman trade school but is also considering attending college or a university.
