By Chris Coffey, NBC Channel 5 News

A set of triplets earned the top three merit-based spots in their graduating middle school class in the Chicago area this spring.

Aaron, Brandon and Christopher Williams-Orr were all ranked at the top of their class at LEARN 8 Middle School in the city’s Garfield Park neighborhood.

“This is a very important day to know that we helped each other and we made it,” Christopher said.

“It was good to know I’m top three with my brothers,” Aaron added.

The triplets’ reading teacher, Abdus-Salam DeVaul, called the journey and success of the three a “marvel to witness,” noting that each brother has a unique individuality.

“We’ll never leave one brother behind. We all stick together,” Brandon said.

In the Williams-Orr household, the boys are sure to finish all schoolwork before hitting some of their favorite activities like playing video games and basketball.

“It’s something that their dad instilled in them and they knew that they could not touch a controller until they did what they needed to do as far as education,” mother Ava Williams said.

The trio is headed to Providence St. Mel High School, in hopes of continuing onto bright futures. Aaron said he’d like to become an electrical engineer, while Brandon wants to be a hardware engineer and Christopher hopes to become a math teacher.