Double delight as Henry twins bag 18 grade ones
Published:Friday | September 25, 2020 | 12:15 AMPaul Clarke/Gleaner Writer
Seventeen-year-old twins Joi-An and Jor-Dan Henry needed no external motivation to do well in their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams, and by the results, it is clear why.
The pair registered stunning successes, pulling in 19 subjects between them. Joi-An received 10 ones, while her super confident brother sat nine subjects and had eight grade ones and a grade two.
While face masks hid the grins on their faces, their shared joy was evident as they spoke with The Gleaner at their family home in St Andrew. Their eyes lit up as they spoke of the joys of success.
Joi-An’s assertive attitude belies her petite stature but, at the same time, complements her penchant for hard work.
The Holy Childhood High School student said she had to overcome the pressures of splitting time for study and gymnastics to convince her parents that she would have succeeded at her exams.
“The challenges I had showed me I could make it through because, unlike a lot of persons at my school, I did gymnastics, and I have to train for five days and up to four hours per day,” she said. “I would get home by 9 almost every night, and I had to do homework, finish all my labs and SBAs on time, and also had to study for what I would have the other day. It was extremely difficult.”
She believes that the fact that she managed to overcome the challenges to secure such good results has set her up for the future.
CAREERS IN MEDICINE
Joi-An, who is a former Mona Heights Primary School head girl, has her eyes on a career in medicine as “I am great at the sciences, particularly biology”.
Similarly, Jor-Dan is anticipating a future in medicine as an orthopaedic surgeon with plans to study in France.
While he did not sit as many subjects as his sister, the St George’s College student said his drive is always to be the best, which comes from being consistent at whatever he does.
“I am very competitive,” Jor-Dan told The Gleaner. “I have Joi-An to testify what the competition is like, and knowing that the expectations are high, I try to exceed all expectations.”
The inseparable twins admit to being each other’s best friend and enjoy the ease with which they talk and study together.
Parents Andrew and Debbie could not be more proud of their achievements.
“We are their greatest cheerleaders, and we often tell them that we will always be there. I have been loud and bold,” said Mrs Henry. “I shout and scream when we attend all their awards ceremonies, and, collectively, we never miss a single parent-teacher association meeting for either of them.”
It helps that both parents work in the education system and, even more so, that Daddy is a man of the cloth and a guidance counsellor.
He said the power of presence makes it possible for Joi-An and Jor-Dan to exude confidence, a trait shared with elder brother Jon-Mark, who is in Florida studying to become an airline pilot.