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newlenoxpatriot.com news<br />
the new lenox patriot | May 9, 2019 | 3<br />
New Lenox triplets put up<br />
big numbers on their ACT<br />
SEAN HASTINGS, Editor<br />
The McDermott sisters<br />
felt confident that they<br />
would score well on the<br />
ACT after all the practice<br />
tests they had done, but for<br />
all three to score near perfect<br />
was “insane.”<br />
Alayna, Corina and<br />
Madeline McDermott, triplet<br />
juniors at Lincoln-Way<br />
West, scored 36, 35, 35 on<br />
their ACT’s, respectively.<br />
The combined score of 106<br />
definitely puts them near<br />
the highest ever, as 108 is<br />
the maximum, but the ACT<br />
does not keep track of those<br />
statistics, Lincoln-Way<br />
spokeswoman Jennifer<br />
Hannon said.<br />
Alayna scored a 35 the<br />
first time she took the test<br />
and turned it into a 36 on<br />
the second try.<br />
“I was speechless for a<br />
while,” Alayna said. “But<br />
I knew once I saw that my<br />
scores were pretty good, I<br />
knew that my sisters would<br />
also have done pretty well<br />
because they’re pretty on<br />
par with me most of the<br />
time.”<br />
Corina, though, is her<br />
own worst critic, she said<br />
and while she knew her<br />
sisters were going to score<br />
well, she wondered if her<br />
scores would be up with<br />
her sisters.<br />
“When I got my score,<br />
I was thrilled and really<br />
proud of myself,” she said.<br />
“I put effort in too, I just<br />
don’t realize it as much. I<br />
was proud of them and it<br />
just shows that hard work<br />
pays off.”<br />
Madeline scored a 35 in<br />
all four sections the first<br />
time she took the test, with<br />
no preparation or studying,<br />
so she felt that with extra<br />
(From left to right) Corina, Alayna and Madeline<br />
McDermott hold their certificates for National Honor<br />
Society of Secondary Schools. Photo Submitted<br />
practice tests and studying,<br />
she could maintain or improve<br />
on her score.<br />
The key for her practice<br />
test taking was taking the<br />
tests with timing and learning<br />
to manage it throughout<br />
the test.<br />
“I didn’t really need to<br />
learn anything new, I just<br />
needed to see if I could<br />
apply it all in four hours<br />
because it does wear you<br />
down as you go,” Madeline<br />
said.<br />
The trio said they all<br />
learn differently and did not<br />
study together for the most<br />
part, but were supportive<br />
of each other through the<br />
study process.<br />
And while they are triplets,<br />
Madeline and Alayna<br />
being identical, they all<br />
have different strengths and<br />
passions. The passions they<br />
have for continuing their<br />
education and career paths<br />
they’d like to go down all<br />
stem from personal experiences.<br />
Alayna has always excelled<br />
in math; so much so<br />
that when she was in eighth<br />
grade, she took high school<br />
math and would shuttle<br />
back-and-forth between<br />
schools. Madeline was also<br />
taking the same class.<br />
She said it’s always just<br />
came naturally to her, but<br />
as of late, science has been<br />
a front runner for her, especially<br />
enjoying the STEM<br />
classes.<br />
“I’ve always been interested<br />
in math and engineering<br />
and I’ve always wanted<br />
to help people, almost [but<br />
not] medically,” Alayna<br />
said. “But I knew if I was<br />
ever a doctor, I couldn’t because<br />
I pass out at blood, so<br />
that was off the table, but<br />
that’s as close as I could<br />
get.”<br />
She said she has friends<br />
who have prosthetic limbs<br />
and was inspired by them<br />
to pursue a career where<br />
she could help people like<br />
in their situation.<br />
“Seeing what they can<br />
do and what they couldn’t<br />
do (inspired me),” Alayna<br />
said. “Like seeing them at a<br />
water park, they can’t take<br />
their prosthetic leg into<br />
a water park and they’ll<br />
have to crawl around on the<br />
gross water park ground. If<br />
there is something I could<br />
do, it could make that easi-<br />
Please see ACT, 6<br />
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