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Nov 14, 2021 News
Kaieteur News – One of Guyana’s newest lawyers, Paneeta Persaud, 24, on Friday, November 5, last made her two supportive younger brothers extremely proud after she was admitted to the bar by Justice Navindra Singh.
According to the young lawyer, her siblings, Omindra and Janesh Persaud, ages 22 and 21 respectively, sacrificed most of their time to keep her company during the long hours of virtual exams, classes and late night studies.
There were times, she said, when she felt that that she would not have been successful in completing her three-year-study at the Hugh Wooding Law School but with her brothers’ support she was among the top 25 graduating law student for 2021.
Persaud received her Legal Education certificate on September 17 and on November 5, at 13:00hrs her brothers were “dressed up” in their suits to witness her Bar admission.
Presenting the petition on her behalf was Attorney General (AG), Anil Nandlall who had predicted that one day she would be a lawyer. The AG had promised a 16-year-old Persaud that when that day comes he will be the one to put forward the petition for her to be accepted to the Bar.
In her brief speech, Persaud said, “Mr. Nandlall, thank you for believing in me and for fulfilling your promise in spite of your busy schedule”.
She also took the opportunity to acknowledge the ones who had helped her along her academic journey which was filled with some challenges.
“I am also grateful for all my lecturers including Mr. Teni Housty (Vice-President of the Bar Association), who has been a great professor and an even better mentor and friend throughout this journey,” the young lawyer told those who witnessed her admission.
Persaud then paused for a bit and then continued, “Mom and Dad, as I was preparing this address, I reflected on every moment leading up to this day. I recall the day I found out I got accepted to read for my Bachelor of Law and how excited I was to share the news with you. I even remember the tough days.”
Growing up, Persaud said she wanted to be a pediatrician but as she got older her career choice started to change until she was not sure anymore of what she wanted to become. “At first I wanted to be a pediatrician then an accountant and suddenly law,” she recounted.
Persaud completed her high school education at School of the Nations and it was while completing her A levels that she found something that she was really interested in and that was law. She completed pre-law programme and then entered the Hugh Wooding Law School in 2019.
Her journey started off smoothly but then soon after hurdles started appearing in her path and there were moments when she became frustrated and felt that the career path might be too tough a challenge for her.
One of the setbacks she faced was the death of her grandfather. “When my grandfather died it was a major blow because we were very close,” Persaud said.
That however, was not the only hurdle that the young lawyer had to jump. In 2021 the COVID-19 pandemic struck and the physical classroom that she was accustomed to was forcefully changed into a virtual one.
Adapting to the transition proved to be a challenge for Persaud.
The young lawyer explained, “A virtual classroom is very different. If you need help with something from your lecturer, or ask a question, you have to wait until he is online or on ZOOM. You cannot walk up to a lecturer and say I have this problem like in a normal classroom.”
Apart from this, there were the times she had to prepare for virtual exams in 24hrs and it was very challenging. Persaud recalled that it was during these moments that she felt discouraged and thought that she was not going to be successful.
However, her brothers were always present to wait up with her during long hours of study. This, she said gave her motivation to push on and give it her all.
That extra effort to fight through the challenges gained her a spot in the top 25 graduating lawyers in 2021 but it was not over yet. She prepared her suit for her bar admission and had tried it on several times before the actual date.
When Friday arrived, Persaud, dressed in her outfit, looked at herself in the mirror and recalled saying to herself, “it’s actually happening!”
In her speech to those who attended her Bar admission, Persaud said, “Becoming a lawyer seemed impossible at first. If I’m being honest, when I started UG (University of Guyana), I didn’t think I’d be in the top 25 to attend the HWLS (Hugh Wooding Law School), but I worked hard, and prayed for it to happen every day. Today, I feel so proud of who I’ve become because I learnt to be resilient and I persevered through all the challenges that came in my way.”
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