小蝌蚪APP

Five for Five: Zimlich Quintuplets Prepare to Graduate

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Posted on May 2, 2022

Thomas Becnel

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The Zimlich quintuplets 鈥� Amelia Rose, Hallie, Isabella, Shipley and Sophia 鈥� enrolled at the 小蝌蚪APP together.  They took some of the same classes together. And now they plan to graduate together in May.

After all these years, having grown up in Saraland and attending South, they know one another pretty well. They鈥檙e part of a close family. Similar, but different.

Shipley, a lifeguard at the Student Recreation Center, thinks Amelia Rose might be the funniest one of the quintuplets.

鈥淪he鈥檚 very sarcastic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 the same with sarcasm, but not as witty.鈥�

Amelia Rose, editor of The Vanguard student newspaper at South, says Hallie is the most artistic and adventurous.

鈥淪he鈥檚 playful and driven about the things that she cares about,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 stubborn, but in a good way.鈥�

Hallie, who majored in visual arts with a concentration in photography, calls Sophia a natural teacher. 

鈥淪he鈥檚 sweet, she loves children,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 really enjoying her job as a paraprofessional.鈥�

Sophia, who is already working at Council Traditional School in Mobile, thinks Isabella has the best study habits.

鈥淪he鈥檚 the most organized person, besides our mom, and she鈥檚 very much like our mom,鈥� she said. 鈥淪he has everything planned out. She鈥檚 very much a planner. And she likes dressing up and being girlie.鈥�

Isabella, who studied elementary education, says Shipley has the thickest skin.

鈥淗e鈥檚 the only boy with four girls, so we overpower him, but he鈥檚 a good sport about it,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 really tough. He takes a lot.鈥�

The Zimlich quintuplets, who are 22 years old, enrolled at South in the fall of 2018. They are scheduled to graduate May 7. They will be joined nearly 2,500 degree candidates who will be recognized at Commencement ceremonies May 6 and 7.

South runs in the family. Their grandfather, Dr. Eugene Aromi, was an education professor at the University. Their father, Mark Zimlich, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in criminal justice, while their mother, Jeannette Zimlich, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education.

When the quintuplets were born prematurely at in 1999, each of them weighed less than two pounds. They spent months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, but all of them survived and thrived.  

Gordon Moulton, president of South at the time, promised them all full scholarships. Nearly 20 years later, the Zimlichs accepted that offer. They鈥檝e always been close.

鈥淲hen we were home-schooling, it was like having one big class,鈥� Shipley said. 鈥淚鈥檇 say we鈥檙e all goal-oriented. We鈥檙e very supportive of one another.鈥�

Close-knit Family

Shipley鈥檚 sisters range in height from 4-foot-9 to 5-foot-1. Shipley is the tallest of the quintuplets at 5-foot-7, so he easily towers over them. They have an older sister, Temple, who graduated from South with her master鈥檚 in elementary education in 2021 and a younger brother, Julius, who is a freshman at South.

The Zimlich family members are active in their church, Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception.

At home in Saraland, the quintuplets enjoy -watching movies and television series. Old favorites include 鈥淪herlock,鈥� 鈥淎gents of S.H.I.E.L.D.鈥� and 鈥淒ownton Abbey.鈥�

When the Zimlichs started school at South, they carpooled from Saraland. Now they have different schedules, different interests and different internships.

Several of them have had part-time jobs at the Student Recreation Center. Some worked with Jaguar Productions. Others were involved with the Catholic Student Center.

Isabella, who was named 2021-2022 Outstanding Undergraduate in Elementary Education at South, has worked at the Center for Academic Excellence.

鈥淚 love it 鈥� it鈥檚 such a fantastic community,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 started out as a Jag Pal and then I became a subject tutor and now I鈥檓 a success coach.鈥�

Isabella this spring passed her edTPA Teacher Performance Assessment, the certification that will allow her to apply for elementary school teaching jobs. She鈥檇 love to stay in Mobile County, teaching children from her community.

Sophia, who was named 2021-2022 Outstanding Undergraduate in Early Childhood Studies, doesn鈥檛 need to look for a job. She was hired at Council Traditional School prior to starting her spring internship there.

鈥淚 got hired over Christmas break and it was such a surprise,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 thought I was living in a dream for a little bit. I didn鈥檛 think it would go so smoothly for me.鈥�

Plans for the Future

Shipley, who is graduating in exercise science, already has his pilot鈥檚 license and 60 hours in the cockpit. He enjoys flying over Mobile Bay, Dauphin Island and the Gulf of Mexico. He dreams of becoming a Navy pilot.

鈥淏oth of my grandfathers were in World War II,鈥� he said, 鈥渁nd I loved hearing their stories.鈥�

Hallie, the artist, got the idea for her major from Amelia Rose.

鈥淚t snowed in Mobile one year, and I took some pictures, and she said I should think about photography,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o I was like, OK. I had thought about doing ceramics, but I don鈥檛 think I would have been as passionate about that.鈥�

Hallie is planning to apprentice with a local photographer. She wants to learn more about art and business.

Amelia Rose, the Vanguard editor, might be the most prominent Zimlich on campus. She writes news stories and opinion columns, but isn鈥檛 interested in clickbait.

鈥淭he goal isn鈥檛 to be controversial,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he goal is to be truthful.鈥�

Amelia Rose started at South as a music major. She enjoyed playing the guitar and writing songs, but not enough to make it her career. She began taking communication classes, became a reporter and editor, and will graduate in interdisciplinary studies; she was the program鈥檚 2021-2022 Outstanding Undergraduate Student.

In January, she got to interview Jo Bonner, the new president of South.

鈥淚 stressed all through Christmas break, wrote down a bunch of questions, and went over it again and again, but when it came down to it, he made it easy as he was very talkative, very personable, and it went well,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 always wanted to do a Q-and-A interview, so I got to do that.鈥�

Wanting to have a broad experience in her field, Amelia Rose started out her internship at Elevator World, an international trade magazine. For spring semester, she鈥檚 enjoying internships at WKRG-TV5 and Mobile Bay Magazine.

鈥淚n my broader plan, I would love to write,鈥� Amelia Rose said. 鈥淚f I can鈥檛 do that, I鈥檒l find another position in the field of communications鈥�

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