CMC Celeb: Clare Riva

Although senior boys are wonderful (usually), they aren't the only people on campus that are worth writing about. This week we changed up the pace, bringing to you a younger Celeb who is reppin' the double X chromosome.CMC, if you do not already know her, let me introduce to you Clare Riva. This boisterous and bubbly little girl is a freshman from Bethesda, MD who has tentative plans to major in Philosophy and Government. Between participating in Senate and Model UN, giving campus tours, being on the Social Affairs Council as the Vice President of Berger and being a member of the 5C Cheerleading Team, it's undeniable that Clare is an asset to the CMC community. Although she has come to know many people around campus, most don't know her little secret: she is a triplet. As if this world wasn't made sweeter by having Clare, there are two more Rivas out there.  The other two Rivas are her twin brothers, Michael and Dave. Michael is in Rhode Island attending a prep school for the Naval Academy, while Dave is a proud Badger at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.1 Because most of us do not have the unique experience of being a triplet, Clare took some time out of her busy schedule to share with the Forum what it is like to be one of three.

“The Six”

1. What are the top 5 most played songs on your iTunes?

1. Wagon Wheel, Old Crow Medicine Show

2. She Moves in Her Own Way, The Kooks

3. Out Loud, Dispatch

4. Want To, Sugarland

5. Hungry Heart, Bruce Springsteen

2. What is your quirkiest quality?

My sneezes are really high-pitched. They kind of sound like a squeak. It's weird.

3. What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Being the first fan on the field after the first time in four years that my high school football team won a game. I wish I were kidding.

4. What is something that you learned from your family?

The importance of individuality.

5. If you could be a character from any book, movie, or TV show, who would you be?

Elizabeth from Pride and Prejudice.

6. What is your favorite unknown tidbit about CMC?

I think it's interesting that 50% of our admitted students were varsity athletes in high school.

First of all, do you enjoy being a triplet?

I like being a triplet, as much as anyone else can say they like being a twin or an only child or a little sister. Everybody always asks if it's weird or if it's cool, but those are hard to answer because it's the only thing I've ever known, it's just what's normal to me.

How is it to always be outnumbered by boys?

I was a total tomboy growing up. I didn't wear real jeans until eighth grade. Once I did become more of a girl, I was more independent. I would go shopping with my friends and find myself complaining about what I had been forced to watch on ESPN that morning before school.

What is the best thing about being a triplet?

I think the best thing about being a triplet is having siblings close to your own age, that you can be close with. I know people that are 15 years years apart from their siblings, and I think it's harder to have a bond when they are spread out so far. Also, always having my brothers' friends around the house didn't hurt either.

What is the worst thing about being a triplet?

Although having my brothers' friends around the house was one of my favorite perks of being a triplet, it could also get pretty embarrassing when I walked downstairs on a Sunday morning right out of bed, in my underwear, with crazy hair  and morning breath, to find 20 guys in my grade crowded on the couches watching the pregame show.

What kind of shenanigans did you guys pull on each other when you were younger?

People never seem to think our stories are as funny as I do, but one of my favorites is from when we lived in our old house, we all shared a bedroom, before we moved at age five. My brothers' beds were by the door and sometimes at night I would wander out to get water or see my parents. My brothers would hide behind the door and when I got back into the room, they would jump out and scare me. Every time I screamed like the little girl I was.

Is the rumor true that you can feel what they feel?

We actually haven't tested that one. Someone go punch one of them and I'll get back to you.

What impact do you think being a triplet has had on who you are as an individual? I think being a triplet has completely made me today. On one hand, it was always really important to me to be my own person, and not just one of "the Riva Triplets." It wasn't the only driving force behind all the choices I made and clubs and organizations I joined, but I definitely think it was a factor. On the other hand, a lot of my characteristics such as my love of baseball and manly movies came from growing up with my brothers. Being a triplet taught me how to be my own person, but at the same time we have a really special bond that means the world to me.

What is it like going to college and not having them around? My mom says that we talk even more now that we're all scattered across the country than we did when we were at home. I don't know if that's true, but I think we are definitely more open with each other, probably because now we don't know the other people in the stories we tell. I have also noticed that my social dynamics are different without them around. Overall, though, I love my brothers more than anything in the world. I think it's good that we're all making our own ways in the world, but I miss them a lot.

1. Note: The author is from Madison and has a definite bias towards Dave as Favorite Riva Other Than Clare.

CMC Celeb is a weekly feature of the Forum that profiles interesting CMC students, finding out everything from what makes them tick to what’s in their iTunes library.  Ever wanted to know more about someone on campus?  Suggest a name anonymously here…we might just make them a CMC Celeb.