Joshanna Hopkinson’s journey to becoming a lawyer has been nothing short of incredible and should serve as an inspiration to anyone who might be tempted to give up on their dreams. Hopkinson almost did that but on the urging of friends and her parents soldiered on.
Hopkinson was admitted to the bar in Guyana on September 20. Her application to practice was presented by Attorney-at-Law Dexter Todd PhD and accepted by Chief Justice (ag) Roxane George.
Hopkinson’s journey of sacrifice not only by her, but also her parents, is also one of dedication, commitment and motivation. It would not have been possible without the support system of family, friends, mentors and organisations. Along the way, she drew inspiration from her mother’s fortitude in overcoming a debilitating illness.
In 2010, Hopkinson wrote the National Grade Six Assessment and was awarded a place at Queen’s College (QC), where she wrote the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examinations and attained 18 grade one passes. Her brilliance earned her the Most Outstanding Student in Humanities by the Caribbean Examinations Council and the privilege of a University of the West Indies (UWI) scholarship.
However, she continued at QC for sixth form where she wrote the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examinations before enrolling at the UWI’s Mona Campus to pursue a Bachelor of Laws degree. While there, she participated in a range of programmes and activities and was the International Student Coordinator for Irvine Hall and a member of the Vice Chancellor’s Ambassadors Corps-UWI STAT.
“In 2017, just before I started the LLB programme at the University of the West Indies, I remember having a somewhat rushed conversation with my father. ‘Should I do this? Can we afford the next step of this journey?’” she recalled.
“I was proceeding on a scholarship to UWI but my fears about law school’s tuition fees were already present and by my final year of the LLB, they were looming, large but quietly. I finished my LLB in 2020, at the heart of the pandemic, and had already submitted my application to Hugh Wooding Law School (HWLS) but just like I had anxiously predicted, neither I nor my parents had the funds needed for tuition. So, when HWLS informed me that I had been accepted, I applied for a deferral. I was ready and willing to pivot. Law, as we all know, is versatile. There is scope to be anything and everything. I decided I would do my masters. I would become a consultant. I would survive without the Legal Education Certificate.
“My determination to do so became even more entrenched when my mother suffered a stroke. That date is marked in my family’s calendar as one of the most pivotal moments of our lives. … My mother learned to speak, walk, drive, cook again – she relearned all the skills that we take for granted as able-bodied adults. Afterwards, I started applying for jobs. My best friend, Abigail, saw a flyer advertising vacancies at the High Court for judicial researchers and sent it to me. ‘Just apply and see what happens’, she told me. It was the only positive callback I received. After that, I gave up on going on to law school, adamant that I didn’t need it. But my parents persistently encouraged me. ‘Why not? Why not try?’ they asked.
“So, reluctantly, I applied for funding and thankfully one organisation responded favourably to my request, the Guyana UK Sports Development Association. My parents, fortunately, were also able to secure funding of their own. I was in.”
While at Hugh Wooding, Hopkinson was awarded for 2021/2022: the Council of Legal Education Prize for the First Year Outstanding Student, the Book Specialist Prize for the Outstanding Year 1 Student, the Justice Anthony Lucky and Justice Gillian Lucky Prize for Best Performance in Evidence and Forensic Medicine and the Peterson, Lambert-Peterson & Co Prize for Best Performance in Evidence and Forensic Medicine. For 2021/2022 as well as 2022/2023, she earned the Guyana Government Prize for Best Performance by a student from Guyana and the Council of Legal Education Prize for Most Outstanding Student.
According to Hopkinson, she will be eternally indebted to her family and friends, and her teachers at the various academic institutions she has attended throughout her life, for the various ways they supported her throughout her journey. Dr Corlita Babb-Schaefer, who permitted her to intern in the Caricom Secretariat’s Legal Department even before she finished her LLB, also came in for honourable mention. She is especially grateful to the Guyana UK Sports Development Association, which paid a portion of her law school tuition. Hopkinson is also keenly aware and eternally grateful to The Almighty, for his guiding hand in her success.
Looking ahead, Hopkinson is aware of the challenges facing her in her chosen profession but is determined to leave her mark. on her chosen career. “I intend to competently represent my clients’ interests while always ensuring to fulfil my overarching duty to the court, to uphold the rule of law and to conduct myself with integrity and professionalism. I also intend to meaningfully contribute to the development and expansion of Guyanese and Caribbean jurisprudence,” she said.
