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Fantastic
Four
One is Evel Knievel, another is ever careful. One's a troublemaker, another a teacher's pet. While they share a birthday and a special bond, Virginia Tech's first set of quadruplets have found their own paths.
One is Evel Knievel, another is ever careful. One's a troublemaker, another a teacher's pet. While they share a birthday and a special bond, Virginia Tech's first set of quadruplets have found their own paths.
One is Evel Knievel, another is ever careful. One's a troublemaker, another a teacher's pet. While they share a birthday and a special bond, Virginia Tech's first set of quadruplets have found their own paths.
One is Evel Knievel, another is ever careful. One's a troublemaker, another a teacher's pet. While they share a birthday and a special bond, Virginia Tech's first set of quadruplets have found their own paths.
by Alison Matthiessen '05, '16 and Juliet Crichton
by Alison Matthiessen '05, '16
and Juliet Crichton
Photos by Logan Wallace
It's a ritual as time-honored as commencement exercises themselves: Scanning a lively sea of gowns and decorated mortarboard hats in Lane Stadium this May, family members will seek out their favorite Hokie among the colorful regalia.
For parents Steve and Tina Lomaka, however, the effort will be fourfold. Their children—Greg, Steve, Chris, and Kate—will make Virginia Tech history as the first set of quadruplets to enroll and graduate from the university.
Of more than 4 million live births in 1993 in the U.S., the Lomaka quadruplets were among just 277 sets of quads born that year. While it's nearly impossible to determine how often quadruplets attend the same university and graduate together, we do know that each of the Lomakas discovered a distinct academic path at Virginia Tech, and their paths have prepared them to take flight upon graduation.
August 2012
Video by Gabrielle Minnich
Visual and Broadcast Communications
April 2016
Video by J. Scott Parker
Visual and Broadcast Communications
Family roots
Having met as students at Villanova University and married a year after graduation, Steve and Tina Lomaka tried for years to have a child. When told by three different sets of doctors that biological children would not be possible, the couple adopted a newborn girl they named Lauren.
After Lauren had turned 3 years old, Steve and Tina decided to meet with one more doctor and then try infertility treatments, which can lead to multiple births. On April Fools' Day in 1993, they discovered that Tina was pregnant with three babies. A few weeks later, a fourth baby popped up on the ultrasound.
At approximately 31 weeks into Tina's pregnancy, the quadruplets were born. "There were probably 25 people in the operating room—doctors and nurses who worked with Tina [a labor and delivery nurse at the Philadelphia-area hospital]," Steve said. "The first one came out around 11:55 p.m., and I thought, 'They are going to have different birthdays. There's no way!' But [the babies were delivered at] 11:55, 11:56, 11:57, and 11:58."
The Lomaka family, named Virginia Tech's 2016 Family of the Year by the Division of Student Affairs: (back row, left to right) Steve (dad), Lauren (older sister), Tina (mom), Steve, Chris, and Kate; and (first row) Greg and Matt (younger brother).
Needless to say, "normal" was hard to pull off with quadruplets and a toddler at home. Steve worked Monday to Friday, while Tina took 12-hour weekend shifts at the hospital. Each night, they prepared 24 bottles to accommodate feedings every four hours, which required some two hours to complete.
When the quadruplets were still toddlers, Tina became pregnant, even though she had been told it was improbable without fertility treatments. Their family was complete when a son, Matt, was born. "He was a miracle baby," Steve said. He and Tina continued their opposite work shifts so they could care for Matt, who has Down syndrome, and his growing siblings.
Before the quadruplets began school, the family of eight moved to Richmond, Virginia, for Steve's job. Enrolled in a small Catholic school where they were known as "the quads," Greg, Steve, Chris, and Kate became part of a tight-knit community and developed their own identities and interests.
Needless to say, "normal" was hard to pull off with quadruplets and a toddler at home. Steve worked Monday to Friday, while Tina took 12-hour weekend shifts at the hospital. Each night, they prepared 24 bottles to accommodate feedings every four hours, which required some two hours to complete.
When the quadruplets were still toddlers, Tina became pregnant, even though she had been told it was improbable without fertility treatments. Their family was complete when a son, Matt, was born. "He was a miracle baby," Steve said. He and Tina continued their opposite work shifts so they could care for Matt, who has Down syndrome, and his growing siblings.
Before the quadruplets began school, the family of eight moved to Richmond, Virginia, for Steve's job. Enrolled in a small Catholic school where they were known as "the quads," Greg, Steve, Chris, and Kate became part of a tight-knit community and developed their own identities and interests.
Needless to say, "normal" was hard to pull off with quadruplets and a toddler at home. Steve worked Monday to Friday, while Tina took 12-hour weekend shifts at the hospital. Each night, they prepared 24 bottles to accommodate feedings every four hours, which required some two hours to complete.
When the quadruplets were still toddlers, Tina became pregnant, even though she had been told it was improbable without fertility treatments. Their family was complete when a son, Matt, was born. "He was a miracle baby," Steve said. He and Tina continued their opposite work shifts so they could care for Matt, who has Down syndrome, and his growing siblings.
Before the quadruplets began school, the family of eight moved to Richmond, Virginia, for Steve's job. Enrolled in a small Catholic school where they were known as "the quads," Greg, Steve, Chris, and Kate became part of a tight-knit community and developed their own identities and interests.
Needless to say, "normal" was hard to pull off with quadruplets and a toddler at home. Steve worked Monday to Friday, while Tina took 12-hour weekend shifts at the hospital. Each night, they prepared 24 bottles to accommodate feedings every four hours, which required some two hours to complete.
When the quadruplets were still toddlers, Tina became pregnant, even though she had been told it was improbable without fertility treatments. Their family was complete when a son, Matt, was born. "He was a miracle baby," Steve said. He and Tina continued their opposite work shifts so they could care for Matt, who has Down syndrome, and his growing siblings.
Before the quadruplets began school, the family of eight moved to Richmond, Virginia, for Steve's job. Enrolled in a small Catholic school where they were known as "the quads," Greg, Steve, Chris, and Kate became part of a tight-knit community and developed their own identities and interests.
Joining the Hokie Nation
The quads, Tina and Steve assumed, would spread out when it came time to attend college—but that didn't come to pass.
"I always knew I wanted to go to Virginia Tech," son Steve said. He applied early decision and received his acceptance letter in December of his senior year in high school. The following February, Greg found out he'd been accepted to Tech, though he was considering two other schools.
Then, on the same day in April, Chris and Kate learned they'd also been accepted. Chris almost hadn't applied, thinking he wouldn't make the cut. "I purposefully didn't [visit] Virginia Tech because I didn't want to get my hopes up," Chris said.
As the deadline to pick a school approached, each sibling was drawn to Virginia Tech. "They made the decision themselves," Tina said. "I was sleeping [after] working night shift, and when I got up, they told me they were all going to Virginia Tech."
In addition, older sister Lauren had already committed to the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg. "It was awesome to know that five of them would be in the same place," Tina said.
MAJOR: Double major in building construction and real estate, College of Architecture and Urban Studies
HOBBY: Watching sports … however, I do love a good nap.
JOB LINED UP: Field engineer, Hensel Phelps, Honolulu, Hawaii
5 YEAR GOAL: Project manager for a general contractor
CAREER GOAL: CEO of a large commercial general contractor or owning a construction company
MAJOR: Business information technology, Pamplin College of Business
HOBBY: Eating Wicked Taco and playing recreational sports
JOB LINED UP: Business technology analyst, Deloitte; Arlington, Virginia
5 YEAR GOAL: Consultant with Deloitte Digital
CAREER GOAL: Becoming a partner—ideally, finding a peaceful work/life balance that allows me to spend time with my future family
MAJOR: Human nutrition, foods, and exercise, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
HOBBY: Anything that gets me moving (hiking, swimming, spinning)
JOB LINED UP: Doctor of physical therapy student, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond
5 YEAR GOAL: A doctor, doing physical therapy with a special-needs population, and married (already engaged)
CAREER GOAL: Own a physical therapy practice
MAJOR: Statistics, College of Science
HOBBY: Running and watching Netflix
JOB LINED UP: International pricing analyst, Elephant Auto Insurance. Training in the United Kingdom for a year with Admiral Insurance, then located in Richmond.
5 YEAR GOAL: Completing my actuarial exams and moving through Elephant as they expand in the U.S.
CAREER GOAL: An actuary Fellow at Elephant—and enjoying my job!
So close, so far
Even within a 5-mile radius of each other on campus, the quadruplets had unique academic and social experiences. Each pursued a different major in a different college: Greg, statistics in the College of Science; Steve, business information technology in the Pamplin College of Business; Chris, building construction and real estate in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies; and Kate, human nutrition, foods, and exercise in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. "We were able to maintain our own identities. Nobody ever came up to me and asked if I was part of the quadruplets at Virginia Tech," Kate said.
Beyond academics, they also enjoyed their own activities, jobs, clubs, and friends. Chris admitted that he may have tried to do too much, but he's glad he did. "I never wanted to look back and say, 'I wish I had done that,'" he said.
Greg, Steve, and Kate each served as a residential advisor. "I had such a good experience with the community aspect of it all [my first year]. I really wanted to pass that on to other freshmen," Kate said. "There is no place like this school."
Despite their diverse endeavors, the siblings took advantage of being able to meet for dinner, grab coffee, or attend one of the fitness classes Kate taught. Catching up on a whim won't be possible after graduation, however. By mid-summer, they will be as many as 5,000 miles apart.
In their lives, the quads' farthest separation was about 1,200 miles—for only a week.
Give them wings
After Chris had been offered a field engineering job with Hansel Phelps in Honolulu, he gathered his siblings to discuss the opportunity. "To have that special moment—he wants us in on this big life decision because he wants us to know this is hard for him, too," Kate said.
A few months later, Greg received a job offer from Elephant Insurance Co. He will move overseas to Wales for a year of training and then will work in Richmond. Closer to home, Steve accepted a position with Deloitte Consulting in Arlington, Virginia, and Kate will pursue a doctorate in physical therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University.
While the quads are ironing out the logistics of their upcoming moves and are excited by what's ahead, they also realize that the separation will be an adjustment. "For some reason, if you are part of twins or triplets or, in our case, quadruplets, everyone thinks that you are with each other all of the time. But for us, it's not that way. We are definitely close, but have our own lives," Chris said. "It's exciting to see everyone branch out and find their own interests."
"I wanted the kids to spread their wings," Tina said. "They certainly took me up on that!"
Alison Matthiessen (communication '05, M.A. '16) is the communications coordinator in the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost.
Let the good-natured jabs and compliments commence! Independent of each other, each quad rated the other three while parents Steve and Tina and older sister Lauren rated all four.
[Click each quad's name]
Let the good-natured jabs and compliments commence! Independent of each other, each quad rated the other three while parents Steve and Tina and older sister Lauren rated all four.
[Click each quad's name]
Let the good-natured jabs and compliments commence! Independent of each other, each quad rated the other three while parents Steve and Tina and older sister Lauren rated all four.
[Click each quad's name]
Let the good-natured jabs and compliments commence! Independent of each other, each quad rated the other three while parents Steve and Tina and older sister Lauren rated all four.
[Click each quad's name]
