From left to right: Katherine, Will & Ann Weston Sistrunk will be second-generation UM students in the fall.
OXFORD, Miss. – Three is a magic number, and it just so happens the Ole Miss family will be gaining three incoming freshman who share the same last name.
Triplets Ann Weston, Katherine and Will Sistrunk from Springfield, Missouri, are not strangers to the University of Mississippi. Their parents, Dr. William Sistrunk, Class of 1986 and UM medical school Class of 1990, and Camille Pryor Sistrunk, Class of 1988, met at Ole Miss. As proud alumni, they will witness their children walking in their footsteps.
“We are thrilled they decided to go to Ole Miss,” Camille Sistrunk said. “Mississippi is such a special place to us, and not many schools can provide lifelong friendships and cultural experiences quite like Ole Miss.”
The Sistrunks grew up in Mississippi, he in Jackson and she in Calhoun City. William Sistrunk’s work as an infectious diseases doctor may have moved the family physically from the state, but it never was fully out of their hearts.
“My time at Ole Miss was very enjoyable. I learned a lot, and it set me up to be successful,” he said. “The camaraderie and lasting friendships I had at Ole Miss were a big selling point to the kids.”
The Sistrunks did not pressure their children when making their final college decision. They envisioned that the triplets would end up at three different schools.
“We left the decision up to them because they are all independent,” Camille Sistrunk said. “Had they gone other places, we would have been just as supportive.”
Ole Miss has been something that has kept the Sistrunks connected with other family and friends.
“The children loved going to visit and going to ball games,” Camille Sistrunk said. “We already knew Ole Miss would give them a great education and foundation for the rest of their lives.”
“When the children visited, Ole Miss really felt like home,” William Sistrunk said.
The incoming freshmen are ready to make Ole Miss home for the next four years.
“Although we’ve lived in Missouri most of our lives, you still have that Southern accent where people go, ‘Oh you’re from Mississippi?’” Will said. “This is something that has always been a part of my life.”
“The whole family is excited,” Ann Weston said. “As an added plus, we get to spend more time with the grandparents.”
Katherine was the first triplet who decided to attend Ole Miss. She said that after a couple months of deliberation and campus visits to other universities, her siblings progressively moved to make the same decision as she did.
“I never really wanted to go anyplace else. Although I visited and applied to other schools, still nothing impressed me as much as the people, the campus and the academics at Ole Miss,” Katherine said. “But as we were accepted into different programs and visited other schools, they just gradually knew that Ole Miss was the place for them, too.”
“It took awhile for me to make a decision because I didn’t know what I wanted to do,” Ann Weston said. “But the Ole Miss people and environment were really nice, and it helped me make my decision to go here.”
Ole Miss and its environment are a prevalent theme in the Sistrunk family. Having made countless road trips for football weekends and other visits, the triplets will get to experience firsthand everything Ole Miss has to offer, and they are harboring ambitious plans for the future.
Ann Weston is set to double-major in public policy leadership and business administration with a minor in Spanish. Katherine will also be a public policy leadership major with a minor in Spanish in hopes of going to nursing school someday. Will plans to major in biology with hopes of going to medical school.
“I want to be able to define what I really want to do,” Ann Weston said. “I want to become a better person by finding a balance between education and social life.”
“I want to surprise myself,” Katherine said. “I want to make the best of my education and find out what I really like to do and what I’m passionate about.”
“I see myself having a deeper connection with Mississippi and doing what I love (hunting and fishing) while preparing for medical school,” Will said.
The Sistrunk triplets are anxiously waiting for the fall semester to begin. They’ve only seen Ole Miss life from a tourist perspective and cannot wait to experience it from a local point of view.
“We are looking forward to being down in Mississippi, and of course we’re excited for football,” Katherine said.