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With her heart filled with purpose and eyes set on service, Brianna Bodden stood proudly last Thursday as The University of the West Indies (UWI) celebrated its newest cohort of medical graduates. The 24-year-old had just completed the rigorous five-year Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MB,BS) degree programme - an important milestone on her journey to becoming a doctor.

Although she still has to complete her internship before she can officially practise medicine, Bodden is already standing out for the kind of doctor she intends to be - one who leads with empathy and humility.

"I don't want to be the type of doctor who just tells people what to do," Bodden said. "I want us to have a discussion and make a decision together. Some doctors don't know the power of listening. It builds that connection and there is so much you can know about a patient or even a person just by listening."

Bodden spoke with THE STAR just moments after receiving multiple awards at The UWI's Faculty of Medical Sciences' Pledge Ceremony, the moment when final-year medical students pledge to serve with integrity, compassion, and excellence.

"Academics aside, it's truly what I can do for my patient. It's the level of empathy I bring no matter the circumstances, listening will be at the forefront of my career," added Bodden.

And based on her record, Bodden is well on her way to being the kind of doctor people remember. She walked away from the ceremony with several academic honours, including for pathology and microbiology, though she barely wanted to list them.

"The awards were in those areas but in three separate categories," she said with a humble smile. "But today is really about all of us. We've worked hard, and by God's grace, we made it."

Bodden, who was born in Mandeville, Manchester, but raised in the Cayman Islands from the age of four, returned to Jamaica in 2022 when The UWI transitioned back to face-to-face classes. She started med school during the peak of the pandemic in September 2020.

"It's been a lot of ups and downs but I have a village with people who motivate and support me. I didn't do it alone. And I can never forget God, as well as the friendships I've built along the way," she said.

Bodden is now heading back to Cayman for her internship, with hopes of specialising in interventional cardiology, though she's also drawn to obstetrics and gynaecology.

"Let's see what internship has in store for me, that'll help me decide," he said. For Bodden, the calling to medicine came from a love of science and a heart for people.

"Being a physician is servant leadership. You're a leader in your community by helping people. I understand my purpose," she said.

Her mom, Karen Bodden, has been her biggest cheerleader.

"I am proud, overjoyed [and] relieved. I can't explain it," she said. "Sometimes she wanted to give up and I said, 'Brianna, God is always with you. He never fail you yet, and he won't fail now.'"

The proud mother has been a steady part of the journey, studying with Bodden over late-night video calls and cheering her through every exam.

"Every exam this girl does gets A," she said. According to her, Bodden is no stranger to excelling. After high school in Cayman, she graduated with 13 grade ones, walked away with more than 18 awards, US$7,000 in cash prizes, and went on to ace A-Levels in chemistry, biology, physics, and mathematics.

"She clean up every stage of her life, and her father is right there motivating her," Karen laughed. "From basic school to now, she's the clean-up lady. Even in med school, she finish with a 3.96 GPA."

Grateful that she didn't have to pay a cent, Karen explained that the Insurance Managers Association of Cayman education scholarship financed her daughter through school.

"Everybody wanted to give her a scholarship because she did so well at the CSEC level. She's been blessed."

Now, as her daughter steps fully into her new role, Karen said she's confident Bodden won't just be a great doctor, but she'll be the kind of human being patients need.

"She's compassionate, very kind, loving and honest. She'll make people feel like there is still hope because she will do her best to help them. I know she will be a compassionate doctor."