Gonzaga's triple crown of Jewells

By Peter Tormey

None of the three Jewell sisters at Gonzaga is surprised with the reactions of friends upon seeing them together for the first time. These young women are used to their fellow students being floored with the novelty of it all. What piques the Jewells' interest the most is how surprised other students are to discover the sisters enjoy being together.

That the Oak Harbor, Wash., sisters actually seek their siblings out and want to be together is simply too much for some Gonzaga students to believe. For some, it's too much like the happy family portrayed in the TV show "Leave it to Beaver" to be real. However, their mutual love is as real as it gets.

"When people talk to me about things they say that it's so Leave‑it‑to-­Beaveresque;" said Kristin, 21, a senior and the oldest in their family of five children; the two at home are 12‑year‑old brother Paul and sister Erin, 15. "It's fun to get a different perspective and come to college and grow into adults together. I never anticipated just how much fun this would be. We genuinely enjoy hanging out together and having fun. These are not only my sisters but they are some of my best friends."

Jessica, 20, a junior, recalls when they were children and she and Heather would argue. Their mother Claire Jewell, in the first class of women to graduate from the Naval Academy, helped instill the importance of family.

"Heather and I used to have some disagreements, sometimes, never physi­cal," Jessica recalls. "Mom set us down and said, 'Friends come and go but sisters are forever. They are part of your founda­tion.'"

Obviously, that lesson and the many others, from their parents have stuck. Mother Claire and father Gregory, both former U.S. Marines Corps officers, modeled leadership, personal excellence, integrity and faith for the family in the way that is best remembered: they lived it.

"Growing up in a military family, we saw how hard our parents worked and how disciplined they were, so it rubbed off on us," Kristin said. "I don't think we'd be the people who we are without our parents. They shared with us their love and faith and we've been very lucky to have such a firm foundation and to be able to continue in that at Gonzaga."

Heather, the youngest Jewell, an 18 ­year‑old freshman, has a simpler explana­tion. "We're just people‑people,'" Heather said. "With five kids in the family, everyone's going to have a bad day so we are used to supporting each other. I genuinely think it's a good thing we're here together because each of us has two people to turn to if we need to."

The sisters also share triple themes of belief in service (all have been active volunteers since middle school), faith and academic excellence - and all three live in GU's residence halls; Kristin and Jessica are residence hall advisors. Their parents told them at an early age that they would pay for their own college education and you'd better believe they are not wasting time.

"Each of us has had very different reasons for service work," Kristin said. "We've always liked helping people. The majors we've selected for ourselves all involve helping people. We were so fortunate to be in a home where it's never just about me."

Kristin works as a nanny for a Spokane family and at an antique shop. Her service work beneficiaries include the Setons and Circle K - among others. An English major seeking a secondary education certification, Kristin dreams of teaching some day and is a student in the Hogan Entrepreneurial Leadership Program. She competed in crew as a freshman but was forced to quit due to a recurring knee injury.

"I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember;" said Kristin, adding that she "had the attention span the size of a peanut" as a child. A visual learner, Kristin remembers her mother's uncanny ability to make problems visual so that she could better understand. Obviously, she has learned well.

A junior biology and exercise science major and high school valedictorian, Jessica joins Kristin in the Hogan program along with her own work as a student trainer for the Gonzaga athletic department. She dreams of being a trainer some day for a Major League Baseball team, but knows it won't be as easy as it was to land her gig as a volunteer trainer for the Spokane Indians baseball team.