The rips at the knees of the blue jeans don’t give them away.
If not for the light blue surrounding the Owl logo on the gray sweatshirt, you might not be able to tell the difference between Jada, Jaylen and Jayon Granger. The sisters don’t mind if you get their names mixed up. They also don’t mind if you see them and are tempted to ask. Yes, they are triplets, and identical triplets are extremely rare, which explains the subtle differences in the sisters.
Physical similarities aren’t the only things the sisters share.
The Grangers’ desire to become physical therapists motivated them to come to Columbus and attend Mississippi University for Women, where they are freshmen in their second semesters.
In the fall, Jaylen’s grade point average earned her a spot on The W’s Dean’s List for having a quality-point average of 3.5 to 3.99 on a scale of 4.0. Jada and Jayon also had successful first semesters after matriculating from Greenville High School.
Jaylen said the sisters selected The W because they wanted to major in kinesiology, which is the No. 4 major at the school. She said they also received inspiration to pick the same major from twins Errick and Derrick Simmons, of Greenville, who have a law firm, Simmons & Simmons, PLLC. Errick Simmons also is mayor of Greenville, while Derrick is a state senator from District 12.
“When we looked at other schools, this school was the best for the major we wanted to do,” Jaylen said. “The people were real sweet and nice.”
Life-changing accident
Jaylen said seeing physical therapists help Jada after her cheerleading accident helped push the sisters into the field of study. In fact, Jada said experiencing what she went through during her recovery was “amazing.” Jayon agreed and said the “hands-on” nature of the profession made gravitating to helping people even more important.
Jada Granger was injured when a cheerleading teammate fell on her during practice the summer prior to her junior year at Greenville High. It was the first time Jada had suffered an injury, and the first time she had to see a physical therapist. The accident proved to be a life-changing episode for Jada and her sisters, and played a role in their decision to study kinesiology at The W.
Jada suffered bruised ribs in the accident and discovered she had scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine. She said she enjoyed the relationship she built with her physical therapist and the experience of rehabilitation so much she decided that is what she wanted to study when she went to college.
Jada figured she would have to go to physical therapy following the accident, but she said she didn’t want to go. Her tune changed once she immersed herself in the rehabilitation.
“I thought it was going to be tough, like I actually wasn’t going to like it, but I actually liked it,” Jada said. “I liked the people and the exercises.”
Jada said she is 100 percent, even though she said she feels pain sometimes.
Jaylen and Jayon also were impressed with the care their sister received. Jaylen said Jada always talked about her physical therapy and made it seem very fun. She said the way the physical therapists worked with her sister drew her to the field of study and led them away from following in the footsteps of their mother, Janice Watkins, who is a social worker. Their father, James Granger, is a manager at a factory, while their stepfather, Nathaniel Watkins Jr., is a constable from District 2 in Washington County.
“I can help someone else. Plus, it made her feel better,” said Jaylen, explaining why she wanted to study kinesiology, “because I was crying because she was hurt. They say when a sister feels it, you can feel it.”
Jaylen and Jayon were participating in a basketball tournament in Memphis, Tennessee, when they received the phone call from their mother informing them of Jada’s injury. They said seeing their sister crying and in a wheelchair made them want to be there for Jada.
Sister bond
The same thinking held true when it came time to pick a college. Jayon said the sisters, who will celebrate their 19th birthdays March 27 and who have three brothers and three stepbrothers, “never” have wanted to be apart. Jaylen said their bond was formed at an early age when their parents used to dress them in identical clothes. The relationship has solidified through the years to the point that the sisters are rarely seen apart.
“We always have been together,” Jayon said. “When you’re not with your sister for a long period of time, it is like, ‘Oh my God, I miss her.’ You won’t have to feel like that if we’re all together. We do try to miss each other sometimes, so we don’t get the same classes. Then we will meet each other and we are back together.”
Jada said the sisters have maintained that relationship with each other because they feel like they are “missing” something when one or two of them isn’t there.
The sisters said the family atmosphere at The W is similar to the one they experienced at Greenville High. They said the class sizes allow more interactions between students and teachers. They also like the size of the student body — 2,711 in the fall of 2018 — because it enables them to meet people easier.
Even though they are freshmen, the sisters have their goal in mind: They want to own a physical therapy business in Texas. They said they have family in Texas who will help them realize the opportunity. In the meantime, they said they will remain humble and keep working hard. They said they don’t feel like they are “celebrities” because they are triplets in the same field of study.
Still, Jayon acknowledged they “can’t even count” how many times they catch students on campus staring at them. Most of the times, Jayon said all it takes is for one of the sisters to make eye contact with the other person to get them to ask. The answer is plain to see: Yes, they are triplets, and they agree The W is going to help them realize their goals and they won’t have to sacrifice anything to earn their degrees.
“There is a lot of support,” Jaylen said. “You can ask questions and (the professors and administrators) are very open to you asking questions.”
Said Jada, “Whatever you need to know, they are going to tell you. They are not going to sugar coat it.”
When you have sisters, that’s how you want it. At The W, the Grangers have found a second home.
“That’s how we talk to each other,” Jayon said. “I’d rather it be real than fake.”
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