St. Augustine Legal Affairs (STALA) Issue 1 | Page 22

Prior to being at the UWI I was previously in the University of Guyana in the Faculty of Law there . After my LLB , I was offered the opportunity to work as an assistant lecturer and I found my passion through that experience . Intermittently I got some practice in New York where I was admitted to the bar ; I realized after a year or so I would much rather return to academia . In the past I also worked in CARICOM as a legal consultant in the trade department with the Office of the General Council , I found that international law was the area that really interested me .

What was your biggest challenge as a student and how did you overcome it ?

with Samantha Ramsaran and Stephanie Rajkumar

I faced several challenges as a student but I was fortunate to have parents who supported my desire to study . I had financial challenges as a student with getting all the textbooks , challenges of reading all the cases and preparing competently for exams ; I had different types of challenges on understanding the work . I overcame those challenges through support of family and friends and through developing good habits . Being a full time student was my job . When you start law it can seem like a different language but tirelessly spending hours in the library , practicing and practicing , it started to get easier . Through that kind of hard work I overcame my challenges .

How does lecturing at the UWI St Augustine compare to lecturing at the University of Guyana ?

There is a small law department in Guyana compared to the one here . I think the culture with students is the same however since you have different levels of students , some very committed , some you have to push harder than others in order to get their interest .

How has your international experience impacted on you and your career ?

I find that studies abroad enriched me not just with my legal education but culturally . We ’ ve received a lot of the laws from England , and when you study it and you ’ re divorced from the realities of England and you ’ ve never seen it , sometimes it ’ s hard to apply it . So going to those societies was an education you can ’ t put into words . I ’ ve had different experiences in styles over legal education and then the substantive material itself . It was really a good experience .

How has your experience as a lecturer been in this transitional period ?

The transition affected me in terms of getting the office here in this new building . My perception of the students is they ’ re not feeling too comfortable in the new structure since they don ’ t have a room of their own .

22