Lives intertwine for three brothers

When you come from a large family, it shouldn’t be surprising that you share the campus with at least one of your siblings, but for Josh, Jeremy and Jack Clemons, it is something that is unavoidable.

“I think one of the best things about going to the same school is that my older brother had some of the classes I have and will have in the future,” said Josh. “That means I can ask him if I have a question about the class or the contents of it.”

“When we were in elementary school, Jeremy’s friends would recognize me. The same goes for Jack and some of my friends.  Some of the teachers also recognized our last name from year to year,” said Josh, who is following the International Baccalaureate (IB) track, like his older brother Jeremy. He also shares a PE teacher with his younger brother Jack. Josh and Jack have gone to school together for years, but Jeremy went to a different middle school and was the first to come to Armijo.

Despite attending schools together for most of their lives, they will probably end up at different colleges. “I am still deciding on what I want to do.  I know I want to go to college, but I’m still torn on what exactly to study. I’ve been thinking about majoring in some form of biology, like microbiology or molecular biology, but I’m still deciding,” said Josh.

Jeremy’s goals? “After I graduate I plan on going straight to a four year for a degree in engineering,” he said.

It’s not always great having siblings to interact with at school, though. “The worst thing about sharing campus with my brothers is that sometimes they are around when I don’t want them to be,” said Jeremy. Josh also admitted that people sometimes confuse him with one of his brothers. “This isn’t always a bad thing, but sometimes it is a bit weird or awkward when my brothers’ friends recognize me and try to talk with me,” he said.

Although their educational routine has been broken up due to COVID, they are adapting. “I was prepared to return to campus this year. I think distance was easier but I learned more in class,” Jeremy said.

“Usually, you spend your freshman year at high school getting used to the new environment and forming a connection with the school,” said Josh. “I didn’t have that experience, so to come to school in person for the first time as a sophomore was pretty weird. I was excited to come back in person because I wanted to experience high school normally, or at least as normally as I can.”

These two brothers are rather different in their interests. “I enjoy going outside and being in nature.  I like to walk, take hikes, and that sort of thing.  I don’t listen to much music anymore, but for a while I liked EDM (Electronic Dance Music),” said Josh. For fun, he said that he likes to relax. “I might watch videos on YouTube or play video games in my free time.  I also enjoy photography.  Sometimes I will go in my backyard and take some pictures of the plants or animals with my camera.”

Jeremy prefers sports and video games and that is reflected in his future career goals…

While they differ in their interests, they both have plans to get involved in clubs or sports, but maybe not right away. “I will probably not do any this year to get back in the swing of things,” said Josh. “I plan on joining a club or sport next year.”

“I plan on joining some soon,” Jeremy said. While they aren’t involved in groups on campus, their home life can be pretty crowded. “I have nine siblings, four older: two sisters who are 23 and two brothers in their late twenties. Also five younger siblings, my two brothers [who both attend Armijo] and three sisters, ages 12, 10, and 2.

Jack did not respond to the request for an interview was not able to contribute his perspective.