Georgetown: The Ministry of Education, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport hosted a networking session Saturday at the Umana Yana for the lawyers who recently returned from the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago and CAPE students pursuing law at the Bishops High and Queen’s College.
This session was important because it sought to align the CAPE students with those who have already walked the pathway they are now on. The lawyers and students were urged to share experiences, give advice and share contact information. This allows the new lawyers to mentor the next generation of lawyers.
In her remarks, Minister within the Ministry of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry emphasized that peer mentorship is important.
“You have made yourself and all Guyana proud,” Minister Henry declared while addressing the lawyers. “Your presence here today is an indication that you did not allow the seemingly daunting nature of your course to prevent you from achieving your goal,” the Minister recognized.
At this point the Minister stressed that knowledge does not end at this stage but continues into the world of work and beyond. “As lawyers you will be required to devote countless hours to pro bono work, to make sure that the wrongly accused are not jailed, that innocent lives are not ruined, that the weak are not preyed upon…you need to be lawyers who will have to fight daily for fairness, who are intolerant of injustice, and who live or work with unimpeachable integrity,” Minister Henry pointed out.
During the session the lawyers were presented with memorabilia from the Golden Jubilee celebrations, and a special award was presented to the best graduating Guyanese student, Ms. Latoya Roberts.
In her presentation, Roberts shared her experiences at the University of Guyana and then the Hugh Wooding Law School. She noted that while being a lawyer is a noble profession the task of actually becoming a lawyer is not an easy task.
For those who attend the Hugh Wooding Law School, Roberts explained that a team effort is required. In this regard, she emphasized that the spirit of Guyanese pride must be inculcated and demonstrated in the way one carries themselves, approach to work, behavior and participation in campus life.
She urged the CAPE law students to be prepared to give 150 percent of themselves. Roberts also expressed appreciation on behalf of herself and colleagues for the opportunity to mentor the CAPE students.
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