Several Guyanese students were among the 213 graduates who received their Legal Education Certificates from the Hugh Wooding Law School during Saturday’s graduation ceremony. The event marked the culmination of two years of rigorous academic and practical legal training.
In her address, Principal of the Hugh Wooding Law School, Mariam Samaroo, noted the significance of the graduates’ achievements while also encouraging them to reflect on their journey to this point. She urged the graduands to consider not only the accomplishment of crossing the finish line but also the obstacles, doubts, and challenges they overcame to reach their goal.
“Pause and reflect on your journey, not just the destination. There were times of struggle and moments where you may have wanted to give up, but something within you drove you to keep moving forward,” Principal Samaroo said. “As future lawyers, you now hold a unique and powerful position in society. You are entrusted with the responsibility of advocating for others, defending rights, and upholding justice.”
She reminded the new graduates that with their knowledge and skills comes a great responsibility to serve with integrity and to ensure that the law works for the good of all people. Samaroo encouraged them to practice gratitude throughout their legal careers, saying, “The practice of law can be demanding, sometimes overwhelming, but in those moments, remember to pause and express gratitude—for the opportunity to make a difference, for the colleagues who will stand beside you, and for the clients who will trust you with their lives and futures.”
Among the Guyanese students celebrated for their outstanding achievements were Sheneza Clarke and Sherry Hinds. Clarke was recognized for her exceptional performance, receiving multiple awards, including the Miles Greeves Fitzpatrick SC Prize for the best performance in legal aid by a Guyanese student. She also earned the second Outstanding Year Two Student Prize, the Cameron and Shepherd Prize for Civil Procedure and Practice, and the Chief Justice Ian Chang Memorial Prize for her performance in Civil Procedure and Practice.
Sherry Hinds who received the Government of Guyana’s Prize for Best Performance from a Guyanese Student.
Sherry Hinds also made her mark, receiving the Council of Legal Education Prize for the most outstanding performance over two years at the Hugh Wooding Law School. She was further honored with the Chairman’s Prize for Evidence and Forensic Medicine, Law of Remedies, and Civil Procedure, as well as the Guyana Government Prize for the best performance by a student from Guyana.
Delivering the keynote address was Honorable Chief Justice of Belize, Louise Esther Blenman, a Guyanese-born jurist. She congratulated the graduating class for their dedication and hard work, remarking, “You have done it. You have burned the midnight oil and achieved great success, making your families, friends, and lecturers immensely proud.”
Chief Justice Blenman also spoke about the immense potential of the Caribbean region and its people, urging the graduates to take pride in their unique heritage and to contribute to the ongoing development of their communities. She challenged the graduands to help forge a strong Caribbean identity and to contribute to regional integration.
“Together, we must create what I call the ‘Caribbean Dream,’” she said. “There should be no place for continued romanticism of other nations’ dreams, like the American Dream. Instead, we should work towards a united aspiration of regional development where we all can live peaceably, reassured by our collective efforts.”
The 2024 graduates of the Hugh Wooding Law School are now equipped to enter the legal profession, ready to serve as advocates, defenders of justice, and agents of positive change across the Caribbean.
