By Shikema Dey
Thirty-five-year-old Hugh Park of Kitty, Georgetown, had no intentions of becoming a lawyer but a simple question from his eldest daughter about his line of profession changed his entire mindset.
It was sometime in 2013 when she asked him if he liked what he did; he was an electrical network technician and her question caused him to ponder on his life choice and whether he was wasting his potential.
“I believe that my primary purpose in life is to be of service to others and I felt like I had the ability and the potential to do more than I was doing so I decided to head into law,” he told the News Room during an interview on Saturday.
His epiphany bore fruit and on October 14, 2021, Park was the first of his batch to be admitted to the bar, becoming one of Guyana’s newest attorneys.
Park was admitted to the bar before Justice Brassington Reynolds with his petition being presented by his mentor, attorney Marcel Bobb.
As is the case for many law students, Park’s journey was not an easy road. When he applied for the Bachelor of Law Degree in 2013, he was not accepted.
“Admittedly, I was in great dismay, but I did not allow myself to remain within the sphere that I was in at that time.”
Though slightly daunted, he opted to enroll in the Post Graduate Diploma in International Studies programme to give himself a “competitive edge” as he planned to reapply.
In 2016, he was finally accepted, and so, he began the journey to becoming a lawyer.
Park, now a father of four children, said the programme required “a lot of sacrifices” as it was extremely demanding.
“As the old adage goes, ‘law is a jealous mistress’ and it took a lot of sacrifices, particularly as it relates to time.
“It required long hours of research, late nights of studying, and long days of tutoring. There were inward challenges of dealing with self-doubt and wanting to quit altogether, but overall, the experience was memorable because I learned a lot along the way, not only as it relates to academics, but also about myself and others.”
Now, the new lawyer plans to put his hard work to good use to effect a positive social change.
“I do believe that being qualified in the legal field builds upon my other academic and non-academic achievements which cumulatively, sets the appropriate foundation for me to be able to fulfill this purpose in a well-rounded manner.”
Park attended President’s College before enrolling at the University of Guyana and then moving on to the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago.
