Cadine Bramwell has been sharing since she was in her mother’s womb! Being among a set of triplets for her parents, there were always opportunities to compete.
Born and raised in West Kingston—Tivoli Gardens, to be exact—Cadine and her sisters—Colliet and Colleen—were raised in a very sheltered environment by their parents. They could not play on the streets with other children after school or on weekends.
Sharing about their growing-up years, Cadine said their routine mainly consisted of church, school, and home.
“However, we always had each other to play with, which was a lot of fun. We did everything together. Even at school, we were very close. Throughout primary school, Colliet and I were in the same classroom, and our teachers could not tell us apart. When we got to Tivoli Gardens High School, they placed all three of us in the same classroom, and it was triple the confusion,” she recalled. Cadine reminisced that their teachers wanted them to wear name tags, but they decided to make things easier by never sitting together.
With two older siblings, it was not an easy road for her parents. Her father was a welder, and the financial burden was great as he sought to ensure they had school books, uniforms, school fees, etc. There were times when they had to walk home for lunch. Cadine gratefully recalled that no matter how small it was, her parents always ensured they had something to eat, “even if it was cooked up seasoning and rice,” she shared.
Their struggles provided the perfect motivation for them, and, today, all three have carved out successful paths for themselves.
“Our struggle taught us how to make the best of our situation. It was embarrassing to walk home for lunch while other students could purchase lunch at school. But we did it anyway, and we continued with our day. We learned how to survive and push through hardships,” she stated.
Seeing other students in the school who were from low-income communities excel proved to be an even bigger motivation for the triplets, as they realised that they too could go after their dreams.
Cadine pointed out that they started taking “baby academic steps, such as getting to school on time and staying late at school to complete their homework.” A big game changer for them was participating in extracurricular activities.
“By getting involved in activities at school, we learned how to manage our time wisely, and we surrounded ourselves with other students who wanted to excel in their academics, despite the many challenges they were faced with,” she shared.
Growing up, Colleen always wanted to be a doctor; her dream was inspired by the death of a loved one due to cancer and other illnesses family members faced. Cadine said her sister was determined to be a doctor to help people heal.
Her other sister, like herself, wanted to be a lawyer following their involvement with different pre-law college classes and legal internships, which she found to be very rewarding.
“For example, when I was a sophomore in college, I worked on domestic violence cases, and the work was so meaningful to me and my clients that I remember thinking I wanted to be an attorney that made a difference in my client’s life; so, I pursued law. Once we each knew our desired career paths, we each pursued our dream. After we graduated college, our career paths caused us to split up for the first time,” she informed.
All three sisters ended up attending colleges in the United States on full scholarships: Cadine attended the Maurice A. Deane School of Law in New York; Colliet attended the University of Florida Levin School of Law in Florida; and Colleen attended the Ross University School of Medicine on the island of Dominica.
Cadine has since penned a book entitled “Two Lawyers, One Doctor” to share their remarkable journey coming out of the inner-city and having their parents—a welder and a housekeeper—struggle to make ends meet, and see them beat the odds to achieve successful careers.
Cadine said she was inspired to pen the book as she wants people, especially inner-city youths, to look at them and think that they are anomalies (something that deviates from what is standard, normal, or expected).
“They truly believe that we got lucky. This misconception breaks my heart, and I wrote the book so that folks can read our story and see that we did not get lucky. We just never gave up, no matter the many barriers, roadblocks, rejections, disappointments, and failures,” she highlighted.
And if there is one takeaway to be had from the book, Cadine said she hopes it will be that the Bramwell Triplets’ success is a result of relentlessly pursuing their dreams, even when faced with the sting of poverty and gun violence, and if they succeed against all odds, others can too.
“I want youths, particularly low-income youths, to pick up my book, see possibilities, and wholeheartedly commit to doing the work to go beyond the barriers they are faced with,” she stated.