JACKSON, MI - Since they were little, Erica Schroeder has picked up on subtle differences in the personalities and interests of her triplet sons that make them unique.
Karson is the outgoing one who has thrived in exploring the world of broadcasting as the director of Northwest High School’s Mountie Nation Station. Landon is the quiet one and a bit more shy, but has shown an entrepreneurial spirit and an ability to problem solve. Mason, on the other hand, has immersed himself in sports, in addition to playing in the marching band.
While the fraternal triplets have developed different interests, their drive to be successful in the classroom is identical in the eyes of their mother, who witnessed their interactions in school firsthand as their third grade teacher at Northwest Elementary.
“Ever since they were little - even being potty trained - they were always kind of competitive with each other,” Schroeder said. “They would also drive and kind of push each other to do better growing up. They’ve always done their best and always set a high standard for themselves.”
Years of driving each other to do their best has helped the triplets earn the distinction of being three of Northwest High School’s 15 valedictorians for the Class of 2023.
Born within three minutes of each other on Feb. 23, 2005, the Schroeder triplets have gotten used to doing things together over the years, including playing on the varsity tennis team together. When it comes to school, the brothers admit there’s a shared competitive spirit between them that ultimately drives them all to do their best.
“We went to a couple of graduations when we were younger, and we saw this honor could be something that we could achieve,” Landon said. “We were going back and forth trying to figure out which one (of us was) going to be valedictorian and who can outdo each other. Now that we’ve all kept our grades up, we all were able to achieve this highest standard and that’s really important to us.”
Related: Michigan brothers who earned valedictorian honors in back-to-back years motivated each other
When it came time for the triplets to assemble a speech recognizing their distinction as class valedictorians, it was no surprise they opted to share the stage and their speech together to close out the ceremony on May 25.
“To say you did it individually is one thing, but to say that all three of you had the same drive and same ambition, I think it’s really special,” Mason said.
Learning in April that their identical 4.0 GPAs had landed them an opportunity to give a speech at commencement, the Schroeder brothers said they began thinking of how they could make their shared speech stand out.
With experience producing a video bidding farewell to Northwest for the senior class, Karson took the lead in putting together a speech that balanced humor with the emotions associated with moving on to a new chapter in life.
While both Landon and Mason said the “Dad jokes” Karson came up with weren’t their idea, it was exciting for them to share the stage for such a significant moment.
“I wasn’t really a huge fan of the dad jokes - they were a little corny - but I had to I had to embrace it a little bit,” Mason joked. “... It wasn’t anything terrible.
“The speech was mostly about how bonds can form you into the person you want to be, can help relationships and about how meaningful people in your life can make a such a huge impact on your future.”
Karson, Landon and Mason Schroeder pose together following graduation from Northwest High School. The triplets were all among the school's class of 2023 valedictorians.Photo provided | Erica Schroeder
The bond between the three brothers has grown stronger as they’ve developed their own unique identities, with the COVID-19 pandemic playing a big part in their growth as high school students.
In the early stages of the pandemic, Karson worked out an arrangement with his teacher to take a Macbook from his class home to immerse himself in its video editing software.
“All throughout COVID I did (broadcasting) because I knew even in COVID this could be a way to connect people,” he said. “I just kind of fell in love with it.”
Landon will join Karson at Spring Arbor University in the fall, where he plans to major in mechanical engineering. During the pandemic, Landon and his brothers started a business, KLS Custom 3D Printing, as a hobby partnering with Jackson-area schools to make key chains and bookmarks.
They soon began using their 3D printer to make face mask adapters to help essential workers, providing Landon with an chance to use his talents to help others.
“I’ve always been a problem solver,” Landon said. “That really built my ingenuity and just really got me involved with the mechanic side of that and I just want to continue that in college.”
Although Karson and Landon will tackle their next academic endeavor together in the fall, Mason plans to forge his own path two hours up the road as a student at Northwood University in Midland.
Mason was quickly sold on the sports management program Northwood offers after becoming interested in it during high school, adding that he plans to play tennis there in the spring.
Despite the trio going their separate ways for the first time in the fall, Mason said he isn’t worried about losing the bond the three have built together over the past 18 years.
“I don’t feel that the connections will be lost,” he said. “Even if I’m a little bit farther away, I still think that I can always rely on them if I need anything.”
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