– after losing parents but finding faith to persevere

By Vishani Ragobeer

AFTER years of pushing through trying times, Kiswana Jefford was finally able to achieve her dream of becoming an attorney-at-law on December 23, when she was admitted to the local bar.

Her petition was presented by attorney-at-law, Nigel Hughes to Justice Brassington Reynolds. She completed her Legal Education Certificate (LEC) earlier this year, at the Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) in Trinidad and Tobago.

The newly-minted attorney attended the North Georgetown Secondary School and St Stanislaus College, and, during her formative years, she was enthusiastic about becoming a lawyer or diplomat. She recalled that her parents would always emphasise the importance of education to her, and, her mother, knowing what her dream was, encouraged her to pursue the requisite ‘arts’ subjects in high school.

But, tragedy struck in 2007 when Jefford’s mother passed away just before the then teenager sat her Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects. Then, the year after, in 2008, she lost her dad.

“Attending the University of Guyana (UG), following a career path or pursuing my goals…none of those things crossed my mind,” Jefford told the Guyana Chronicle in a recent interview.

“I was so heartbroken, it was like I lost a sense of direction…I thought, `what sense does it make pursuing a degree when they’re not there to see me?’”

It was a family friend who encouraged the young Jefford to apply to UG; there, the young woman pursued an undergraduate degree in International Relations (IR). She related that she was not entirely focussed on her studies since, understandably, she was still processing her grief. She was also working at the Hughes, Fields and Stoby law firm. First, as a legal secretary, and then later, as an Intellectual Property Assistant. Both of these jobs allowed her some exposure to several areas of the legal profession. And her IR degree, an exposure to diplomacy.

Then in 2015, after she was finished with her IR degree and able to cope a bit better, she finally began her law degree – pursuing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at UG. It was the values of working hard and striving to achieve her goals which were embedded by her parents that helped her along her new journey.

Additionally, she said that she was surrounded by a strong support system- her family and friends, her boss, Nigel Hughes and her colleagues from Hughes, Fields and Stoby. That support, along with her faith in God and her parents’ values, were enough to get her through the LLB journey.

During that time, she also became very active in student governance, after being elected twice to the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), and volunteering her time for a greater cause. Yes, she had her hands filled but she kept going.

By the time she finished the three years of law at the UG, and went on to complete her LEC at the HWLS, she was already an independent woman. The shift to a new environment, having to live on her own, was not something she was unfamiliar with. She was ready to take on the LEC adventure.

And so she did, again, while engaging in extracurricular activities. Since she was not working, also, she had even more time to dedicate to her studies over the two-year period.

Now that she has been admitted to the bar, she continues to work with the Hughes, Fields and Stoby firm practising in various fields, including civil and commercial litigation, criminal law and intellectual property. Her next goal (after a deserved break from years of studying) is to pursue her Master degree in International Law.

“I like international law, particularly international litigation and alternative dispute resolution and I have a vested interest in human rights particularly those vulnerable groups in society like women, children, refugees and the elderly,” Jefford highlighted.

This, she explained, is a marriage of her aspirations to become a diplomat and lawyer- combining both her degree in IR and her legal studies.

Reminiscing on the time she had with her parents, Jefford said that her parents would have been overjoyed at her achievements thus far and they would have supported her on her journey ahead.

She even joked that her father would have let the ‘whole world’ know that she is an attorney. Though they aren’t here, she is content knowing that she has made them proud.

“It always seems impossible until it is done,” she said, quoting Nelson Mandela. And she is a testament to ‘holding the faith’ in order to make dreams a reality.