As a father of not one, but three recent college graduates, Raymond Saba wanted to celebrate their achievements in a nontraditional way.
For about a month Saba, who is a Brush Prairie resident and father of triplets, devised a plan in secret.
One evening after the family finished eating at a restaurant, he said, “I have to do something.”
The triplets didn’t pay much attention until they noticed he kept driving in circles. When their mother looked up, there it was: a large billboard with a photo of the college grads and the words, “Congratulations Saba triplets, may your dreams be your wings.”
“I just thought ‘What in the world? Why is my face so big?’” Kristen, one of the siblings, said.
A few minutes later, Kristen’s friend texted her to ask if that was really her on the billboard.
The billboard can be seen on the corner of NE 78th Street and St. Johns Road in Vancouver.
Kathryn, Kristen and Michael, 21, all graduated virtually from Washington State University Vancouver in May with a triple major in finance, entrepreneurship and management, with a communication minor.
The triplets grew up in the Portland area but moved to Brush Prairie when they were 10 years old. They attended the same classes from kindergarten through college, with the exception of fourth grade.
As kids, they all wanted to pursue different occupations. Kristen wanted to be a doctor, Kathryn wanted to be a teacher and Michael wanted to be a pilot.
In high school, they studied together for hours each week during their time at CAM Academy in Battle Ground. Their commitment paid off, as they graduated from WSU debt-free.
“It was very rigorous,” Kristen said. “The goal of the school is to help you succeed academically but it was way harder than university.”
In their free time, the triplets enjoy playing music together. Michael plays the guitar, Kathryn sings and Kristen plays the piano.
WSU in Vancouver was appealing to the siblings because none of them had a desire to travel far from home, Kristen said. Their mother and maternal grandparents also graduated from WSU, but on the Pullman campus.
The triplets ended up majoring in the same area of study because they all felt a natural entrepreneurial ability. The skills can be traced back to their great-grandparents, they said.
Their great-grandparents made the journey from Lebanon to Portland, without knowing a word of English, but that didn’t stop them from going door-to-door in search of a job to provide for their family.
Saba’s great-grandfather originally planned to board the Titanic in 1912, but was denied passage because he didn’t have a certain vaccination, Michael said.
Later, he started a house-building business. His son, Saba’s grandfather, started a clothing shop in Montreal, Quebec.
Following in their family’s footsteps, the triplets would collect golf balls as kids around the nearby golf course, Kathryn said. They would take the golf balls home, wash them and attempt to sell them at a stand they set up on the side of the road.
The business model wasn’t quite successful because the golf course gave out the golf balls for free, but that didn’t stop the triplets from pursuing other ventures.
“We realized we all had something for business,” Kathryn said.
In 2019, Kristen discovered her love of videography in high school and decided to start a video production company. Saba Productions produces videos and photos for both large and small fashion and luxury companies.
“I took my dream and made it actually happen,” she said.
Kathryn, the oldest by one minute, and Michael both helped Saba Productions get off the ground. The company just landed Multnomah County as a client and has previously worked with businesses in Canada.
Michael, on the other hand, is working for Boeing as a finance estimator intern. He helps make financial estimates for company management in order to make decisions about price changes for aircraft.
He hopes to work full-time for Boeing in Everett, once the internship is completed.
Kathryn has been assisting with Saba Productions and plans to travel once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted internationally.
