Basketball players, religious studies majors, Iraqi STEM students, and missionary kids are among the siblings who have chosen to attend 91����Ƶ together. Some commute from nearby homes; some crossed the continent to get here; some are Mennonite, but many aren’t.

The 91����Ƶ database contains 46 family names associated with siblings enrolled in the fall of 2014. Three families have a trio of offspring enrolled, including two sets of parents who themselves graduated from 91����Ƶ: Steve and Lois Alderfer, class of 1986, parents of first-year Andrew, third-year Josh, and fourth-year Elizabeth; and Pat and Kathy King, class of 1981, parents of triplets who are sophomores, Emma, Isaac and Rachel. A third trio of sophomores includes Kennedy I. Okereke, and twins Chidera T. and Chinazo A. Nwankwo, children of Theodora Nwankwo.

“Something very profound takes place for both the family and the 91����Ƶ community when siblings share a common college narrative,” says , vice president for enrollment. “Experiencing Mennonite education can strengthen the family while at the same time benefiting the college with the sharing of their individual strengths and uniqueness.”

Not surprisingly, the largest cluster of siblings (14 sets) come from Harrisonburg and vicinity, but some siblings have traveled hundreds of miles in Virginia to attend 91����Ƶ, including a pair each from Bristol on the Tennessee border and from Chesapeake on the Atlantic.

Other home states of siblings: Pennsylvania (12 families in nine municipalities); Ohio (eight families, all in different locations), two sets of siblings from Maryland, and one set each from Goshen, Indiana; Wellman, Iowa; Rochester, New York; Plymouth, Minnesota; Puyallup, Washington; and Charles Town, West Virginia.

The 46 surnames of siblings culled from 91����Ƶ’s database in October 2014 are: Alderfer, Baltimore, Barrett, Beachy, Bills, Bishop, Blosser (two different families), Clemens, Cox, Driediger, Dutcher, Ferrell, Gallardo, Gish, Gonzalez, Graber, Hartzler, Jones, Kauffman, King, Kiser, Kratz, Longenecker, Luther, Mack-Boll, Mansoor, Martin, Mast, Miller, Mumaw, Myers, Nafziger, Nussbaum, Okereke, Patterson, Poplett, Raber, Salladay, Shenk-Moreno, Sprunger, Treichel, Trotter, Weaver, Wengerd, Ygarza, and Yoder.

Interviews with three sets of 91����Ƶ siblings yielded this common thread: They tend to maintain separate identities and friend groups, while supporting and inspiring one another – be they healthcare providers like the Ardrons, budding psychologists like the Treichels, or activist musicians like the Popletts.

“Even though the siblings may have very different experiences here, they will have the same alma mater, a bond which will benefit both themselves and our entire community over the long term,” observes Hartman.

The Ardrons

Last year, the three Ardron brothers – Austin, Adrian, and then first-year student Aaron – all commuted to campus from their home in Fishersville, 30 miles south of Harrisonburg. The attraction of 91����Ƶ was its strong reputation in and .

With both a mother and a father who are nurses, the Ardron brothers come from a family of healers. Among their immediate and extended family are more nurses, pharmaceutical representatives, physical therapists, an ophthalmologist, and a pediatric allergist.

“It’s just what we’re drawn to … we’re good at medicine, at making people feel better,” says Austin, who wrapped up his 91����Ƶ coursework this summer, passed his nursing boards, and started as a registered nurse at the University of Virginia (UVa) hospital – all within 30 days.

As the first to enroll, Austin came to 91����Ƶ because of the “holistic approach” to nursing, which emphasizes emotional as well as physical healing. Now working on the medical-surgical floor, Austin applies this mindset to patient advocacy, what he terms “explaining in human terms what the doctor just said.” He also values his ability to be a comforting presence and “that extra safety net for the patient” before procedures.

Austin’s older brother, Adrian, started at the College of William and Mary and circulated among a couple of university settings and majors before following Austin into the nursing program. Also a 2014 graduate, he now works as a registered nurse in UVa’s urology, surgery and burns unit.

Aaron based his college decision partly on his brothers’ positive experience. The pre-med major was also impressed by 91����Ƶ graduates’ nearly 90 percent acceptance rate into medical school.

Commuting from home has allowed the Ardron brothers to gain work experience, and to maintain close ties to their family and their Seventh Day Adventist church.

Austin paid his way through school by working as a nurse’s aide at UVa. For all four years of college, he attended school Monday through Friday, and worked 20 hours over the weekend.

Aaron’s extracurricular activities take the form of church leadership: he is a head deacon at his family’s church. The Seventh Day Adventists’ calling is “to help heal, help promote growth,” he says. That environment shaped his interest in helping people through medicine. After many years of schooling, he hopes to carry on the family’s healing tradition as a healthcare professional in an intensive care or trauma setting, perhaps as a cardiac or ocular surgeon.

The Treichels

Shawn and Kevin Treichel’s childhood instilled in them a fascination with the human mind and an appreciation of brotherhood. From Kevin’s perspective, many people coming to college see their siblings as an annoyance, and their family as a constrictive atmosphere to leave behind. But the Philadelphia-raised brothers grew up without an intact family to chafe gently against – they were in and out of foster care.

Some students enter college lacking independence and resilience. Not these brothers, says Shawn: “We’ve been to youth delinquent centers for a year at a time …We can do college!” (In the Philadephia area, the centers often double as temporary homeless youth shelters.)

Shawn was the first to learn about 91����Ƶ. His family began attending a Mennonite church after an event flyer was posted on their door. Through that youth group, he became acquainted with Lani Prunés ’14. Her descriptions of 91����Ƶ helped sway him from the original conviction that he would not pursue post-secondary education. He is now a third-year major whose studies may lead to ; however, he’s waiting to see what opportunities life brings: “I’ve never really had a straight and narrow path,” he explains.

Kevin is also at 91����Ƶ because of those church connections. He came in knowing he wanted to go into nursing, and liked 91����Ƶ’s reputation in that field. Specifically, he says, “I want to work in a psychology setting with children.” He plans to attend graduate school for a masters in applied behavioral analysis.

“The end goal is to have the knowledge and the context in order to take a much more holistic approach towards psychology than I ever witnessed myself,” he says.

Coming to 91����Ƶ, the Treichels had to adapt to both small-city living and local culture. If they drive five minutes in their home setting, they’ve made two blocks; if they drive five minutes here, they’re in a cornfield. Neither of the brothers see themselves returning to Philadelphia. “Been there, done that,” says Kevin.

Wherever their careers take them, the Treichels express appreciation for having attended 91����Ƶ simultaneously and maintaining their mutually supportive relationship.

“It would probably be weirder not being on campus with my brother,” says Kevin. “Due to our specific circumstances, we learned pretty early the value of relying on family.”

Yet, he adds, 91����Ƶ might still be the right choice for siblings who don’t feel as close as he and Shawn. “The [campus] world’s not as small as you might think it is.”

The Popletts

Alicia and Katrina Poplett, of Plymouth, Minnesota, grew up immersed in music, listening to their mother playing piano. Competition between the two young violinists became “a quite contentious part of our lives!” says Katrina, who switched to the viola in eighth grade. Thereafter they played together in school and in Mennonite church groups with less angst.

In the high school pit orchestra, the year before Alicia left for 91����Ƶ, “we started becoming friends,” says Katrina.

Alicia is now a junior majoring in and .

After two years of visiting her sister on campus and feeling “very at home here,” Katrina arrived this fall to study .

Again attending school together, the two have built upon their high school bond, sharing yoga classes and musicianship.

Yoga is Alicia’s interest, but “Katrina begrudgingly comes along,” Alicia says. “She has a lot of strengths, but sitting still and perhaps balancing are not some of them.” The two exchange smiles over antsiness and arduous poses during class.

The sisters also still practice music together, their individual skill augmented by the ability to read one another well. Sometimes, though, they still need to take breaks to cool down between instrumental arguments.

The sisters hope to enter humanitarian work after graduation. Alicia imagines teaching overseas or in an inner city school – “somewhere that would continue to challenge me!” Katrina sees herself working with women and children in a foreign context.

Wherever they go, the sisters want to make a difference, a goal that stems from their upbringing: “We were raised to be involved and to be present where you are,” says Katrina. An example of this was their recent participation in the New York City People’s Climate Rally on Sept. 21. “It took stamina!” says Alicia, of the three-mile walk with more than 400,000 participants.

Their mantra of presence and involvement also applies to their relationship.  Alicia recommends attending college with a sibling, as it’s an interesting way “to both grow together.”

Katrina has especially appreciated the presence of someone who knows her well as she transitions to university life. The hardest thing about starting college, she explained, is the absence of peers who know you deeply. Even though Alicia has been Katrina’s “in” to social networks, people on campus do not treat the sisters as one unit.

“You are related, but you’re your own person,” says Katrina.

Coach Wendell Eberly said his golfers are excited to see what year two holds in store.

“The year of experience is good because the golfers know what to expect when they go to a tournament,” Eberly explained. “They can relate this to the new golfers, but experience is the best way of knowing how to deal with the pressures of tournament play.”

While officially a spring sport with a national championship in May, the men’s and women’s golf teams also play a few events in the fall. The ODAC Championships are April 27-29 at the Rock Barn Golf Club in Conover, N.C.

After a year of seeing the status of golf in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference, Eberly is continuing to point his teams to the basics.

“There are some really good golfers in the ODAC,” he said. “In order to improve you need to practice, but you also need to play as many tournaments as possible.”

Although the men’s squad must replace a couple of scoring seniors, both the men and women return their No. 1 golfer.

On the men’s side, sophomore Josh Alderfer (Faber, Va./Nelson County) had a round average of 81.7 last year with a low round of 77. He also had one top ten finish. Eberly expects him to be one of the top golfers in the ODAC in his second season. Freshman Mark Shaner (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County) will be 91����Ƶ’s No. 2 golfer, and he is a good golfer who will only get better with experience on the collegiate level.

Caleb Schlabach (Millersburg, Ohio/Hiland), who averaged 86.7 with a low round of 81 as a freshman, and senior Zach Bowles (Staunton, Va./Robert E. Lee) expect to round out the top four, with classmate John Toney (Buckingham, Va./Buckingham County) playing at the No. 5.

“Caleb did well as a freshman and continues to improve his game. His ball striking is excellent, and he is close to posting low scores,” said Eberly. “Zach is new to the team this year but has posted some low scores at Heritage Oaks. With some tournament experience he should be able to score in the low 80s. And John was on the team last year, but only went to one tournament. He is also a good ball striker and just needs more experience in tournament play.”

Senior Joel Murray (Hesston, Kan./Hesston) (88.2 in 2012-13) is also on the team, but will just fill in when needed during the fall. He will be off campus during the spring season on his cross cultural.

In their first year as a program, the Royals finished eighth out of ten teams at the ODAC Championships. While Eberly knows challenging the top programs in the league at this point would be a surprise, he does expect his men to challenge for a higher finish in the ODAC. They also want to limit the number of double and triple bogeys per round.

Brittany McDonaldson (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) was the lone woman on the team last year, but she will be joined by junior Savanna Lester (Chesapeake, Va./Great Bridge) in 2013-14. McDonaldson averaged 90.1 a round last year with three top ten finishes in five tournaments. She took sixth at the ODAC Championships to earn ODAC All-Tournament Team status as a freshman.

“Brittany is a really good golfer and has a lot of tournament experience,” said Eberly. “She has worked hard on her game this past summer and should be able to improve on her sixth place finish at the ODACs. Savanna is new to the game but has made big improvement since last spring. Just playing in some tournaments and getting experience should improve her game.”

The goals for the women are to improve throughout the year and for McDonaldson to earn a top three finish at the ODAC Championships in April.

Even with the experienced golfers he returns, Eberly expects a slow start to this year as the new players get accustomed to the college game. The men have four tournaments slated for this fall, with the women playing in three, and each will add more in the spring.

The 91����Ƶ (91����Ƶ) Royals shot a 329 on day one, leading four other teams including two ODAC schools: Virginia Wesleyan and Shenandoah.  Their 346 on the final day of the event gave them a total of 675 and cost them their spot.

The 91����Ƶ men, who were one of eight ODAC teams at the tournament, will get a chance to redeem themselves at the ODAC Championships, which are April 21-23 in Cape Charles, Va.

(Faber, Va./Nelson County) had a low round of 80 on Saturday and was 91����Ƶ’s top finisher, carding a 167 (+25).  He was two strokes ahead of teammate (Keezletown, Va./Spotswood) at 169 (+27).  (Hesston, Ks./Hesston) had a great Saturday and came in at 170 (+28).

(Millersburg, Ohio/Hiland) carded a 175 (+33) for the weekend, while (Broadway, Va./Broadway) overcame a tough first day to finish at 177 (+35).

Bluefield State won the tournament with a team score of 606, one ahead of ODAC school Hampden-Sydney at 607.  The Tigers’ Rick O’Connell won the individual title with a score of 146 (+4).