The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

Celeste Adderley has outshone every student in the University of the West Indies School of Clinical Medicine & Research (UWI SCMR) to win the three top awards. She has proven that being born and raised on a Family Island, belonging to a family that isn’t wealthy, and having to take a gap year in the midst of her studies, are no impediments to becoming a doctor. It did, however, take pure tenacity, dogged determination, and laser focus - attributes that helped her rise to the top.

Celeste received the Cecil M Bethel Award for the Most Outstanding Student; the Dr Anthony Regis Award for the Most Outstanding Student in the MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Science) examinations; and the award for the highest clinical exam performance across UWI campuses.

This accomplishment is no easy feat, as she earned these awards above 530 other students. Talented UWI students from throughout the Caribbean region go through five years of medical school, often referred to as grueling and extremely challenging, before becoming a doctor. Students make competitive grades to complete the rigors of a programme designed to ensure that the best enter the medical field. Celeste has broken every barrier in her way - ones that could have easily stopped her from realising her dream.

Dr Corrine Sin Quee-Brown, UWI SCMR Director. SCMR is one of four sites for medical training under UWI. Students would complete three pre-clinical years at one of three campuses - Jamaica, Trinidad, or Barbados. Most students come home to The Bahamas, which is the fourth campus, to complete their two-year clinical internship.

The UWI’s Faculties of Medical Sciences have been successfully accredited for an additional five-year period, from 2023 to 2028 by the region’s accreditation body, The Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and Other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). According to the university, the CAAM-HP accreditation reaffirms the high quality and standards upheld by The UWI Faculties of Medical Sciences in medical education and healthcare training. This recognition underscores the commitment of The UWI to consistently provide a world-class education to medical students as well as students studying other health professions.

For Celeste, it was a seven-year journey. When she graduated from NGM Major in Long island, she moved to Nassau, the capital, to attend the University of The Bahamas. She attended UB for a year when she first heard about the UWI’s medical program in Barbados.There, she could take a one-year preliminary science programme to prepare her for the journey.

“I didn’t come from a well off or wealthy family… or even middle class,” Celeste shared.

“My mommy had her financial challenges for a good part of my life. Even when I applied (to pre-medical school in Barbados) I wasn’t sure how I was going to pay for it. I got in and did the preliminary year. We were able to afford that. Then I applied to medical school - and got in!

“In the first semester, we were able to find the funds. In the second semester, I had to go to the school’s Bursary and ask them to let me continue. They deferred my fees as far as my third year, first semester. Back home, we had Hurricane Dorian and then Covid came. This was in 2020 when they told me - I have to pay. I went back to Barbados to school without knowing how it would be paid. Thankfully, my godmother sent a check, and then I got scholarships from (the UWI Guild, UWI Medical Alumin Association and Foreman Foundation). I still owed them a good bit, but they allowed me to remain in classes right up to my clinicals. Then, they told me I had to stop”

Celeste was forced to take a gap year. She had to work to raise money to pay for her school fees. For some, this could be devastating, and an easy deterrent from trying to reach such a lofty goal. But with faith, money is no object.

“I found a job for a couple of months to earn the money to pay off the school,” Celeste explained, “then I went back to Barbados.”

“That experience of taking the year off, and meeting people to guide me on how to study what resources to use, was very helpful. At the time, I didn’t see it as a blessing; but looking back, I appreciate it. I think I needed that, to be honest. The (gap) year opened my eyes to appreciate a lot of things.”

She returned to Barbados “focused and determined”. Once she completed her pre-clinical trials there, she matriculated back to Nassau to the UWI SCMR for her final two years.

“I still had my financial struggles,” Celeste shared of her final two years.

“I moved almost seven times because I didn’t have a place to stay. I was with family at one point, and friends at one point. I couldn’t afford to stay anywhere. People were doing me a favour. I slept between a mattress and a couch. A lot of people don’t have the space to take anyone. I couldn’t afford to pay. I even slept at school sometimes… but I made it.”

Based on her incredible journey of beating the odds, how did Celeste navigate her final two years of school? She applied for financial aid and received some assistance. She also received a Government cheque for $350 per month. She used these funds to survive, she said.

During the 2024 UWI SCMR Graduation ceremony, Celeste finally received her degree, passing out in a group of 45 new doctors.

“All of the taxpayers of The Bahamas contributed to your education,” Dr Sin Quee-Brown told the graduates, “And you now have the opportunity to pay them back with empathetic, high-quality service.”

She also praised the Bahamas Government for its recent University of the West Indies (UWI) Medical and Dental Subvention Scholarships, which cover 100 percent of the tuition in the last two years of the program. The Government also covers the cost of staffing as well as the infrastructural needs of the school, located on property at Princess Margaret Hospital.

Since graduation, Celeste has started her one-year internship. She is currently rotating through the Rand Memorial Hospital in Grand Bahama for three months as a part of her Obstetrics and Gynecology rotation. Once complete, she will return to Nassau for the remaining nine months of her internship.

“During this time, I plan to really hone my clinical acumen, learn as much as I can from my seniors and just try to put things in place for the residency application process,” she said.

“So far, being a physician has been great! The patients truly make it worthwhile.”

Speaking of her beloved Long Island: “In my humblest opinion it is one of the most beautiful islands in The Bahamas. I always tell people that there is no place like it. I’m from the southern part and when I say south, I mean deep south. From Clarence Town to Roses is where I originate. If I’m being honest, we moved around a bit growing up, so I’ve lived in several different settlements. But for me the periods where I lived in those two settlements would have been the most pivotal with honorary mention being Buckleys. When my mom moved back to the island a few months after I was born, we first lived in Roses in my great grandparents home. I have a lot of fond memories of outside play and my sister helping me with my homework. She taught me a lot growing up during the times we lived together.”

“Eventually I moved to Clarence Town and stayed with my grandparents. Clarence Town has the best breeze - especially on a Sunday afternoon - because it is a settlement situated by the water, so you can feel the sea breeze against your skin. One of my favorite past times, especially on the weekend, was going for a stroll through the settlement because not a lot of people lived there. So sometimes it would only be me along the road exploring the canals and the shoreline. That used to be therapeutic for me.”

“I mean the beaches overall are breathtaking. My favourite beach would be Lowe’s Beach. It’s on the outskirts of Clarence Town. There is a portion of the beach that has a lagoon and man, it’s like God spent extra time creating it. I’m so spoiled that I find it hard to go to beaches elsewhere. Then you have island living which is more laid back and overall more relaxing. The food, oh how I miss the food! The Bahamian meals I’ve had since relocating to Nassau to further my studies have not matched the home cooked Bahamian meals I had growing up.”

“Then you have the people. Long Islanders are hilarious. We truly embody the expression “If you don’t laugh you’ll cry”. I had just told my colleague the other day, ‘If you think I’m funny, you gotta visit Long Island. I’m not even funny in comparison.’ All my life I have known Long Islanders to be resilient and resourceful. We do a lot with so little and that’s really admirable. It’s a trait I myself picked up as well. The foundation I got from growing up and schooling there, I always say prepared me for the wider world. NGM Major High School is a school that has always bred excellence. In fact the island itself has always bred excellence.”

“I am so thankful; for my mother Rosalie Adderley, my sister Rachel Hanna, my grandparents Rosalie and Ambrose Adderley (may their souls rest in peace), Endal and Lucy Adderley, my godmother - Sandra Henry, and numerous family members and friends - too much to mention.”

In terms of guidance from mentors, Celeste said, much of it came from her peers in UWI, who were a year or two ahead of her. She also thanked the UWI SCMR administrative staff, who “were really there for her” during her final two years of medical school.

“Mrs Marsha Bain has been my rock especially, along with Mrs Forbes, Dr Sinquee, Dr Vrunda and Dr Srikanth, who have provided guidance along the way. In fact they are still guiding me to this day!”