When Enna Diaz recently made a purchase at Barnes & Noble, she realized the end of her college career was near.
"Oh, man it was finally hitting me," she thought.
But the cashier couldn't stop laughing at her unique purchase. Enna was buying five graduation caps and gowns -- for herself and her four siblings.
After four years, the Diaz quintuplets -- Enna, Emilio, George, John and Maria -- are graduating from UNT. During that time, they not only took classes to prepare for their careers and were active on campus -- they did it together.
"Not every family has this opportunity, five at a time," George says.
The top priority for the Diaz quints was to complete classes and seek opportunities that would help them to pursue their individual interests and careers.
Maria, an interdisciplinary art major, decided she wanted to work in an ad agency after working for UNT's own Swoop ad agency, where she created advertising materials and some website elements for a Dallas shaving company.
"I got the real-world experience I couldn't get with any other class," she says.
Enna, a biology and Spanish major, may take two gap years before applying to medical school. She is planning to do research in a clinical lab or join AmeriCorps.
Emilio, a converged broadcast media major, hopes to work as a disc jockey with his own radio show one day. He completed an internship at campus radio station KNTU, where he had the opportunity to introduce the songs he played during DJ shifts.
John, an international business major with a concentration in finance, would like to manage other people's money by working at Fidelity or another firm.
George, a Spanish and business major, wants to be a tax accountant. He got a taste of the business as an intern for Denton's Low Income Tax Clinic, where he helped translate documents for clients.
"It makes me feel better knowing someone is getting help when they thought there was none," George says.
The siblings also got involved on campus by participating in various clubs. Inspired by their younger brother Sebastian, who has special needs, they all joined Best Buddies of UNT, in which they were paired up with an adult with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
While at UNT, they frequently attended football and basketball games. The girls shared a dorm room and then an apartment. The boys also roomed together on campus before moving into a house with their cousin Enrique Alegria, who was inspired to enroll at UNT after visiting them in Denton. Alegria, originally from Chicago, is now a sophomore computer science major.
Because they had different majors, the Diaz quints were able to make new friends and, unlike in high school, not be identified solely as "the quints."
But John said it was fun to run into each other on campus or meet up for lunch at Bruce Hall.
"It's cool," John says. "It's a blessing to have one another."
But now they're entering the real world.
"I'm scared because I don't know what's out there," Emilio says. "But I'm excited to see what the next chapter of my life will be."
George says that, even if they are in separate cities, he and his siblings always will be close.
"We can't get rid of each other easily," he says.