Triple triumph - McDaniel sisters overcome tragedy to cross UWI graduation stage

The McDaniel sisters - Tianna, Jada, and Daja - celebrated an incredible family milestone as all three graduated from The University of the West Indies, Mona, last weekend.

Tianna McDaniel, 25, led the charge on Thursday, proudly accepting her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree after a gruelling five-year programme. Then, one day later, her twin sisters, Jada and Daja, 23, stepped up in their own triumph, receiving degrees with double majors in economics and banking and finance - a triple victory for the family.

"I am just lost for words," their mother, Joanna Cole-McDaniel, told THE STAR. "It is a joyous feeling. God is good and I am so proud of them."

The journey for the women from Whitehouse, Westmoreland, was anything but easy. Their father, Christopher McDaniel, a former sergeant and main provider, passed away in a tragic accident in 2021. The former cop died as a result of injuries he sustained when a trailer transporting sugar cane overturned on the box motor truck that he was driving. At the time of the incident, Tianna was entering her second year of medical school and the twins were about to begin their university journey. Cole-McDaniel said after he died she suggested that the young ladies take a break from their studies but they were determined to push forward.

"It was so devastating because they were very close to their dad but they wanted to go through," she said.

Tianna, for example, told THE STAR that losing their dad was "a very traumatic experience".

"My dad was the one I would call when I felt stressed, but whenever I started feeling that way again he was not there to call on. So that became a really down point in my journey," she said adding that whenever the situation appeared insurmountable, she found strength in a maxim she has used since her days at the Manning's School.

"There is this quote that I live by since high school, it says that 'If you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do keep moving forward.' So, each time I encountered some problem throughout the journey, I tell myself that you just need to keep moving forward because there is going to be sunshine at the end of the road," Tianna said.

For Jada, the drive to attain a university degree became a mission.

"I just wanted to finish school and get to this point without stopping," she said. "I've heard people say that after working they don't want to go back to school so I just wanted to continue and finish my degree at a certain age," Jada added.

Daja, too, saw no need to stop.

"To have your degree is a good thing so it didn't make sense [for us to] stop. Education is good and we just wanted to go for it and achieve the highest," she said.

As the McDaniel sisters pressed forward with their tertiary studies, Tianna took on more than just her studies. She worked tirelessly to secure grants and scholarships to cover her tuition, easing the financial strain on her mother, a teacher, who was now solely responsible for three children in university. She also leaned into her role as the big sister, ensuring that Jada and Daja had everything they needed, from groceries to late-night escorts back to their dorms when classes ran late.

"I had my full scholarship, so sometimes I had extra savings and I would just purchase whatever they need, whether it's just groceries because we didn't always want to go to mommy for it to be overwhelming for her so whenever I could help I did," she added.

The twins, in turn, were inspired by their sister's tenacity and selflessness.

"She's one of our mentors because she is someone that does very well in everything she does so we wanted to follow her path as well," Daja said.

Jada echoed the sentiment, adding, "Without her, getting through university would have been so much harder because having her there to lean on and guide us was a big help because as Daja said, she was one of our biggest motivators."

Tianna, meanwhile, credited her sisters with giving her strength during difficult times.

"Every day I thank God that he blessed me with some sisters that are best friends ... because if I didn't have them it would have been very depressing," Tianna said.

Although the twins could not witness their sister cross the stage because there were no more seats available when they arrived at her graduation ceremony, the joy of knowing that all three had achieved their dreams was pleasantly overwhelming. While, for Tianna, the moment she saw her sister cross the stage brought tears to her eyes.

"I was so excited because two years ago I realised that if we both focused on school we would get to graduate the same year and that was my only dream at that time, to graduate with my sisters to get that financial relief off our mommy and it was such a proud moment," Jada said.

For Daja, the only thing that could have made the weekend more perfect was if their father had been there to see it all.