Visitors to Tusculum University are guaranteed to see a number of people on campus and have an excellent chance of meeting one with the last name of Silvers.
Tusculum has a quartet of students with that last name – senior Jessica and juniors Allison, Kenneth and Madison. As one might suspect, the four of them are brothers and sisters, with Madison and Allison being twins.
The ranks will be thinner after Saturday, May 10, because Jessica is graduating from Tusculum with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor in biology. She still intends to be on campus fairly regularly as an alumna to attend events involving her siblings or grab a bite to eat with them, but there are obvious emotions that this change is happening.
“It really is sad because I think I have gotten so used to being at school with them,†Jessica said. “The change is going to be hard. That chain is breaking, but I’m still going to obviously support them in everything that they do here.â€
In addition, Jessica has understandable feelings about departing Tusculum as a student and all that entails.
“This place has been a big part of my life in a very good way,†she said. “For one thing, it has been beneficial academically. It has also opened a lot of doors for my eventual professional career. I have definitely grown as a person, and Tusculum has helped with that.â€
Jessica was also named the Homecoming queen in 2023.
Allison, who is majoring in elementary education K-5, said it will be weird not to have Jessica on campus because it feels like the group has been together at Tusculum for so long. But the good news is they will still regularly see each other at home. The four of them have been commuter students and still live with their parents in Limestone. That residential setup will not change for the immediate future.

During their time at Tusculum, Allison, Jessica and Madison have participated in Student Support Services, a free federal grant program for those whose parents or guardians do not have a bachelor’s degree and/or come from income-eligible households or have a disability. The siblings meet the first qualification and will blaze a new trail in their family when they receive their Tusculum diplomas.

The siblings have enjoyed their participation in SSS. Those who sign up for the program can receive academic advising, financial literacy education, assistance with completing the FAFSA, graduate school advising and counseling as well as tutoring. Participants also can take free trips that incorporate cultural activities and visits to graduate school programs.
Jessica was the first one to join SSS, and she then recruited her siblings to be part of this program. Rachael Barnett, SSS’ director, remembers the trip to New York SSS took in 2024 and seeing “Hadestown†on Broadway. The Silvers sisters are huge Broadway fans, and Barnett said it was special to witness them seeing their first show in that famous entertainment area.
Allison, Jessica and Madison have received $750 scholarships for joining SSS. Jessica credits SSS staff for always impressing on participants the importance of graduating from college.
“They are just a tremendous help because they understand our situation,†Jessica said.
Barnett said the Silvers sisters have been particularly helpful.
“The sisters were instrumental in an important focus group we conducted last year collecting qualitative research for the writing of our most recent Student Support Services proposal,†Barnett said. “They brought a unique perspective to the focus group with their experience as first-generation students who commute to campus. Their insight was very valuable for our proposal writing for the SSS grant competition.â€
The Tusculum story started for the quartet when Jessica chose to come to the university to be a cheer team member. She took a campus tour and fell in love with Tusculum. Fast forward when the twins were ready for college, and they found the opportunity to also be on the cheer team appealing.
Jessica and the coaches invited Madison and Allison to campus for cheer clinics, and Jessica urged the coaches to recruit them because they were initially intending to go to college solely for the academics. Kenneth, better known by his nickname Tres, joined the team in his sophomore year.
“They are a close-knit family and love to be together,†said Trea King, the cheer team’s head coach. “This was just one more place that they could enjoy themselves. They have wonderful pioneer spirit and were able to portray that spirit during games and school events.
"Jessica served as a team captain the last two years and led the team with compassion and commitment that was unparalleled.â€
As she reflects on the Tusculum experience, Jessica said it has been comforting to go to school with her brother and sisters
because she knows she always has a friend with whom she can spend time after class. Madison, who is pursuing a degree in English education grades 6-12, said her siblings are a great resource to help with their classes when she is having difficulty. Tres, who is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration, enjoys spending the time with his sisters.
“I feel like if you have anything you need to talk about, they will always understand it,†he said.
A couple of things are abundantly clear when anyone comes across the siblings – they love and like each other and their parents, and they are grounded in their faith.
Tres said his mother has reminded them that they do not realize how lucky they are to be together. The parents have enjoyed watching the four of them cheer together at a Tusculum game.
“God has definitely kept us together as well and got us here,†Jessica said. “That’s the backbone of all of it.â€
“And it has been our parents backing us up and pushing us to succeed,†Allison said.
“Ir’s a blessing we’ve all gotten this opportunity to do it together and succeed with it,†Madison added.
