Growing up, becoming a lawyer was not my dream. There are no
lawyers in my family, and I didn't know any personally. Even
when applying for law school, it was difficult to picture myself in
the profession — there just weren't many examples I could
relate to.
Most of what I knew about lawyers came from television and
movies. Characters like Atticus Finch, Harvey Specter, and Jack
McCoy, while entertaining, bear no resemblance to me. When you
rarely see yourself reflected in a profession, it's hard to
feel as though you would belong there.
That feeling changed when I was accepted to Queen's Law
School and joined the Black Law Students' Association (BLSA).
Through my interactions with BLSA members I began to understand the
importance of representation. Suddenly, I wasn't navigating the
challenges of law school alone — I had a community —
peers who I shared similar experiences with, and who were there to
offer advice, support and encouragement.
