Double the joy for single mom
Brother and sister graduate together as doctors
Published:Wednesday | January 21, 2026 | 12:06 AMCarl Gilchrist/Gleaner Writer
For a single mother, it is a blessing when a child graduates from university, having overcome a mountain of hurdles to earn the credentials that allow the title “doctor” to precede their name.
Double that achievement – two siblings, graduating together, both becoming doctors – and the moment becomes nothing short of extraordinary. That is the joy found in Heather Green’s home.
Green’s daughter, Kimberly Clarke, and her son, Anton Goode, completed their medical degrees at The University of the West Indies (UWI) and graduated together last Thursday at the Mona campus ceremony. For Green, their success is nothing short of a “yes you can” moment – proof, she says, that “the fiercest of battles can be won by putting up a good fight, and trusting in God.”
Both new doctors are now in their internships and will soon choose their specialities. Clarke has her sights on orthopaedic sports medicine or ENT surgery, while her younger brother is inclined towards general surgery or obstetrics and gynaecology.
Their alma maters, Marcus Garvey Technical High – which Clarke attended – and York Castle High, Goode’s former school, are also celebrating the pair’s ascent into the medical profession. But the greatest applause comes from their mother, whose quiet confidence in her children’s future never wavered, despite financial strain and moments of doubt.
“It’s special in a number of ways,” Green told The Gleaner. “One, because I don’t think it’s every day you have a brother and sister graduating in the same field, at the same time, from the same university, so that makes it so unique.”
“Beyond that,” she added, “it’s special for me because of the fact that they’re both my children and this to us is like a culmination of a great milestone... I really have had to pause, kind of stepped back, and give God all the glory.”
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Their years at UWI were not all about textbooks. Both siblings threw themselves into campus life. Clarke, an avid sportswoman, represented UWI in football and dabbled in almost every discipline available. “Only three sports I never did, water sports, netball nor basketball but from badminton to football to cricket to table tennis, I did all of those,” she said.
In November 2024, she also demonstrated her culinary flair, winning the Eat Jamaican Cooking Challenge with a 10-course meal — prepared with a little help from her brother.
Goode, meanwhile, balanced his studies with volunteering, participating in beach clean-ups, charity work, volleyball and singing in the university choir. “I’m just glad that I got a chance to get a very fulfilling university experience and come out on top,” he said.
The path to medical school, however, was far from straightforward. When Clarke first declared her intention to become a doctor after leaving Marcus Garvey, the family’s finances were precarious. Green considered suggesting a delay – or a different field altogether. But a conversation at church shifted her thinking.
“I was proposing to the church sister that she does nursing,” Green recalled, “and she said ‘Nope! She’s going to be a doctor...’ And at that point I had no idea where the first cent was going to come from.” Yet, she added, “A long and tedious, arduous journey it has been but God has been good, He’s been faithful and here we are.”
Green admits that the money spent could have gone towards many other things, but she has no regrets. “Those things are nothing to compare to my saying to the world, ‘Look what God did’... There were pitfalls, lots of different things, heartbreaking moments but to God be the glory, they are here.”
Clarke remembers the discouragement that came at the start of her studies, and the emotional weight of persevering. “I really don’t have the words to describe the immense emotions that I feel... because my brother shared that day with me as well,” she said. “I also want to give mom thanks for all the sacrifices that she made.”
Goode, too, faced pressure to choose another career, but his mother’s belief never faltered. “My mother has always encouraged me – ‘If that’s what you want go and get it...’ and so said, so done.”
He credits his sister for steady devotion to him throughout their studies. “Sometimes when I get my allowance mi spen’ it off buy KFC and then go back to my sister to beg... She neva leave me hanging yet... Kimberly was always there. I love her, man, we have a great relationship.”
For the Green family, the dual success is more than an academic triumph. It stands as a collective victory rooted in faith, sacrifice and communal support. “It’s a major milestone, a big deal for me,” Green said. “There are so many people who are supposed to be celebrating with us... from our church, our pastor, bishop, the church members at United Lifeline Deliverance Church of St Ann’s Bay. Anton and Kimberly were beneficiaries of the church’s education fund, so there was a lot of support.”