– together they gave the country it’s first female lawyer of Indigenous extract

By Wendella Davidson

THE old adage, “it takes a village to raise a child”, certainly holds true for Miriam Angelique Sonu Andrew, the first woman of Amerindian extract to be admitted to the bar in Guyana. Miriam, who currently works as a Legal Assistant at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, is of mixed ethnicity.

Her father, who hails from the village of Sand Creek in the Rupununi, is Wapichan, while her mother is Indian. Miriam, who is the last of their two children, turns 26 on September 14.

Speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Tuesday, Miriam, who was born in the city and had her formative education at St. Agnes Primary, recalled the family living on Regent Street, but being subsequently forced to move to the East Coast just before she wrote ‘Common Entrance’.

She said that had it not been for the love and support of family and kind relatives, who provided a place for herself, her sister and mom to stay, she might very well not have been able to attend St. Joseph’s High School.

She recalled tragedy again striking the family when her mother, its sole breadwinner at the time, lost her job. But being the resourceful woman she is, her mom did the best she could to ensure that her two daughters received a sound education. In 2010, Miriam obtained with 11 passes at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination, which afforded her a place at the Bishop’s High School to continue her studies. In 2012, she graduated with an Associate Degree in General Studies, having obtained eight passes at the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE).

With her sights firmly set on becoming a lawyer, Miriam enrolled at the University of Guyana (UG), and in 2015 obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB), graduating with a distinction. And, on account of her being among the top 25 graduates in her class, Miriam was afforded automatic acceptance into the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago so she could obtain her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) and finally be admitted to practise law. She views the acceptance as “monumental” and the final step to realising her dream.
However, with the astronomical cost of attending the acclaimed law school, Miriam’s hopes of attending, even with the support of both parents although they were now separated, was uncertain.

NO GIVING IN
According to Miriam, the thought of her not attending Hugh Wooding made her feel demoralised, but she was not about to give up. As such, she wrote to every conceivable agency she could with the hope of securing a scholarship to help offset the expenses.
With no positive answers coming forth, she repeated the process on numerous occasions. In the end, it was the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs which came to her rescue, and offered a scholarship to cover only the tuition fees. Even though the scholarship meant that she would have had to find money to cover other miscellaneous expenses, Miriam said she was grateful.

Her mother and sister and other family members, including her father, had worked tirelessly to meet the lodging and living expenses in Trinidad.

Describing being initially in Trinidad as “quite a journey”, Miriam explained that initially she found it difficult to settle in as she was not accustomed to being separated from her family. However, her classmates were quite supportive, she said.

Determined to not disappoint her family, friends and sponsor, Miriam said she began to focus more on her studies and became more involved in school activities. This led to her serving as the Vice-President of the Student Representative Council (SRC), Vice President of the Human Rights Committee (HRC) and also a member of the Gavel Editorial Team. Additionally, she opted to complete the elective Mediation Advocacy Course and be certified. She also completed the Human Rights Clinic, a Specialty Clinic within the Hugh Wooding Law School.

Miriam, as a requirement of her legal training at Hugh Wooding, did a 10-week internship at Singh & Singh Chambers during the 2016 vacation break. The internship allowed her to be exposed to the full spectrum of the legal system, that included criminal and civil matters ranging from a criminal trial surrounding a rape and civil matters that involved issues of custody, maintenance and access; a trial surrounding a commercial matter; meeting with clients, and the drafting of wills, among other things.

HONOUR ROLL
On graduation day, October 7, 2017, Miriam became one of only two Guyanese on the Principal’s Roll of Honour, a privilege awarded to only nine graduating students out of a class of 218. The other Guyanese, Saeed Hamid, who she described as her “good friend, roommate and study partner”, graduated as the top Guyanese law student. And according to her, she will be ever grateful to him for the love and support he showed her, in good and bad times.

Miriam was also awarded the Oswald J Wilson Memorial Prize (Best Performance in Landlord and Tenant, that was shared with Trinidadian, Karina Wiltshire); the Phelps & Company Prize for the Best Performance in Civil Procedure and Practice I, that she also shared with another student.

She also copped The Cameron & Shepherd Prize, awarded for Best Performance in Civil Procedure and Practice I and II by a Guyanese Student.

While at Hugh Wooding, Miriam co-founded with Hamid, ‘The Foundation for the Realisation and Elevation of a New Society (FRENS)’, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which focuses on children and persons with disabilities. She currently serves as the president.
Recently, as part of a `Back-to-School’ project, the organisation presented backpacks, stationery, shoes and socks to 60 children of the Santa Mission Amerindian community.
With her passion for Human Rights Law and Environmental Law, Miriam’s job at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs allows her to meet and try to assist Indigenous Peoples, even those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the law.

The attorney, who said she has the utmost admiration for Amerindians and is proud to be one, is urging Indigenous youths, especially the young women, to not let persons define who you are, seek to shatter any perception of a stereotype that persons will try to push on to you, set yourself a vision then get out and actively pursue and seize those opportunities; always remember the people who helped you to climb that ladder, be humble and respect not only yourself but others with whom you work.
She is married to Financial Analyst Samuel Ming.