Trifecta of opportunities draws triplets to start legal education at ASU Law
Triplets and incoming ASU Law students (from left to right) Nicole, Lauren and Megan Isagholian pose for a photo on the Downtown Phoenix campus as they prepare to start their semester together at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law on Aug. 18. Photo courtesy of the Isagholian family
Megan, Nicole and Lauren Isagholian were born in Glendale, California. They share a birthday, a love of basketball and a passion for law.
In fact, all three are starting their legal education at Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law this fall.
“There were other schools, but ultimately we chose ASU for the right reasons,” Nicole said. “We’re happy with our choice and we're excited to be here.”
But that may be where the similarities stop.
The fraternal triplets have three very different personalities — one is shy, one is an energy ball and the third is a self-described social butterfly.
And they are studying three distinct interests in law — entertainment, sports and intellectual property law.
“A lot of people just group us together as one, instead of seeing three separate individuals,” said Lauren, the energy ball. “We're very similar on paper. But we're extremely different people.”
The Isagholian sisters, who all graduated with honors from UC San Diego in June 2023, have just settled into a two-bedroom apartment near ASU’s Downtown Phoenix campus and took some time to speak with ASU News ahead of the fall semester.
Editor's note: Answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.
Question: What drew each of you to ASU Law?
Megan: For me, it was the welcoming environment of the admission’s team specifically. We went to different events here and in Los Angeles when we were admitted and spoke to Dean Stacy Leeds and other folks on the team. They were all really helpful and even if we didn't end up coming to ASU, they wanted us to choose the best school for us.
Nicole: I really like the different programs that ASU offers. Specifically, the ability to transport your degree to different places in the U.S. You can go to Los Angeles or Washington, D.C. I don't know of any other law school that has any of those sorts of programs. It shows how portable my degree will be. That was a big draw for me.
Lauren: I knew I was interested in intellectual property and sports law when I was applying. So one of the reasons I decided to attend ASU was that I'm so close to the major sports teams here, and I thought there would be future networking opportunities that might come my way. So I'm excited to see what the future holds.
Q: Were there any other reasons?
Lauren: Well, we didn’t think that all three of us were going to get into the same law school. We didn’t even think there would be a law school that took two of us. So it was really shocking that we all got into the same law school.
I feel like being a triplet and going to the same law school, we have a built-in support system. It's definitely going to be beneficial to us. If I need help with something, I know I can go next door and ask one of my sisters.
So that's one thing that I'm really excited about — starting law school and this journey for the next three years and having my two sisters beside me.
Q: Being triplets must be interesting. What are some common reactions you get from people when you are together?
Megan: There are so many things that happen to us daily. For example, when we're out in public and someone calls out one of our names, we immediately turn our heads, because people are always confusing us — they mix us up with each other.
Being a triplet is a unique experience. I would say at least once a month, someone will come up to us and ask, "If I pinch one of you, will the other two feel it?"
No, we don't feel it. We're not linked like that. Our brain activity is not connected.
But I do think that in some situations, we can communicate without any words. I can give Lauren or Nicole a certain look, and they will understand exactly what I'm thinking in that moment.
Q: Who is your greatest inspiration?
Lauren: I think all of us will have a similar answer to this. I would say my parents were my number one inspiration — especially my mom, who is my best friend.
She is Armenian. When she immigrated to the U.S. from Iran, she decided to pursue higher education and was able to get her bachelor's degree and master's degree. She's an educator now. She came here with absolutely nothing and put everything into pursuing an education so her family would have a better life.
Megan: I would echo that. Being an educator, she always wanted us to pursue whatever we wanted.
She did everything in her power to ensure that we had what we needed and got everything we could out of our education.
Certain parents say things like, "You have to go to this school" or "You have to be a doctor."
But she said, "I will give you all the tools I can and then you have to put in the effort yourself." I always appreciated her help because it was not easy raising three kids at the same time. She helped us choose the best high school and figure out where to go to college.
I'm very grateful to her for all of that.
Nicole: We're the first generation that has been born in the U.S. and grown up here.
Seeing all her struggles inspired us to pursue a higher education and go on to get a professional degree. Going to law school will open up so many doors for us and potentially help our family down the line.
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