Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday welcomed her son, Kris Shiva Bissessar, to the legal profession, after he graduated with a law degree from the University of the West Indies.
Speaking with the media after her son and niece, Divya Maraj, received their scrolls at UWI Spec, St Augustine, Persad-Bissessar described the occasion as a double celebration and a proud moment for the family.
“I’m very proud. He has joined my profession. I think it’s one of the best professions in the world. I’m very happy to have him in this field,” she said.
Asked about her only child entering the same profession, Persad-Bissessar reflected on the parallels between their journeys.
“He started off like me. He did his first degree in education. He, like me, was a teacher. Welcome to the profession,” she said.
The PM’s message to the graduating class echoed the sentiments of the late Calypso King of the World, Slinger “Mighty Sparrow” Francisco – education remains the surest route out of poverty.
“Children go to school and learn. There is no passport out of poverty. There is no key out of poverty except education. So to all young people, the best is to go forward and continue to learn. I was a perpetual student, by the way. I continue to study,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Bissessar, who already holds a degree in education, said he is now following a path similar to his mother’s.
“For professional reasons, I thought law would better suit me,” he said.
Reflecting on his academic journey, Bissessar credited his mother’s guidance and support.
“She gives a lot of advice in terms of how to approach certain issues and problems and always offers to give me assistance. Sometimes I try to take on board what she says and incorporate it into my own studies. And just supportive generally,” he said.
He acknowledged that balancing the demands of study was one of the greatest challenges he faced but said he developed a system that worked by combining his mother’s advice with his own methods.
“The obstacles were really to do with the studying and finding time to study properly and effectively. My mom gave me some advice that I tried to incorporate, and then I developed my own pattern. I learned what worked for me.”
Earlier, valedictorian Karissa Lacaille, who graduated with first-class honours, urged fellow graduates to remember the value of preparation, drawing on the lesson to “measure twice and cut once.” She also reflected on failure as part of an ongoing dialogue between the creator and the created.
Lacaille recalled the challenges many students faced during their year two, semester two examinations, an experience she suggested some were still recovering from. Despite arriving at law school through different paths, she said the graduating class now shared a common purpose: using their education to make a meaningful difference in society.
“The world needs attorneys who will ask not only what would the law permit, but also what does justice necessitate?While our degrees will open doors, our character will determine what we do once we walk through them.”
Among those graduating were Jonathan Nanton, son of the late veteran journalist and teacher Joel Nanton, and Tafawa Pierre, son of Grenada opposition leader Emmalin Pierre.
