Why I Want To Tie My Life With Law

Law is one of the pillars and basic foundations of a progressive society. It manages to permeate almost every aspect of today’s world, promoting order and stability and protecting our rights and values as individuals whilst managing to set limits and boundaries on our actions. However, law can also be used as an engine for social change and justice. For example, women being allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.

Human rights has been a big part of my life since I was a child. Coming from an Asian minority background, I have directly experienced and witnessed the discrimination and oppression of women and children in Asian society, but also been a victim during visits. By seeing women’s voices and rights being denied and their treatment as inferiors, it has fuelled my passion to stand up for what is right. Law can help change societal norms and shape various social institutions, which in turn shape society. However, the impact of law can be limited due to deeply embedded attitudes. With the example of Saudi Arabia, although women have been given certain rights by law, the implementation of these rights is difficult in a society where the inferior status of women is entrenched in the culture. Laura Esquivel’s Spanish novel, “Como Agua Para Chocolate” also explores the difficulty of women to gain independence and rights due to barriers of tradition. In the backdrop of the Mexican Revolution, the protagonist is suppressed by societal attitudes however challenges these values through rebellion, overcoming the macho culture and reflecting the aims of the Revolution in fighting for change in society. However, this is an existing problem in Spain as seen in March 8 feminist strike.

Inspired by the work of the UN Human Rights Council and the European Court of Human Rights, I became a member of Amnesty International, allowing me to become an active member of the human rights community. For example, working with the local team during organized protests in Edinburgh. I have also collaborated with the UN House Scotland team with the organization of their Sustainable Goals program. My enthusiasm for helping others has also led me to become the Head of United- a pupil-run support group. We are trained to provide advice to pupil’s issues, improving my interpersonal skills and showing me the impact and difference an individual can have on others, fuelling my passion for law even more.

In order to get more personally involved with the problem solving of societal issues, I am part of the Model United Nations club at my school to which I was voted one of the Secretary Generals for this year. MUN has allowed me to gain an extensive knowledge of world affairs and confidence in my public speaking but also gain invaluable social, critical thinking and problem-solving skills. By travelling to various international conferences such as in The Hague, has highlighted to me the importance of international co-operation in regards to human rights, especially in today's political climate.

I have also witnessed the justice that the law can provide during my work experience at COPFS and Pinsent and Masons as it allowed me to see the law in action and gain insight into both corporate and criminal law. In order to directly experience the role of a lawyer, I did the School Mock Court Case Project for two years as Head Solicitor. I was responsible for various tasks such as preparing witnesses, writing the writs and adjustments to deadlines, helping to improve my communication skills, the ability to work under pressure and the skills necessary for time management and teamwork. Overall, our team was hugely successful in the project as we won the Best Drafting Prize in Scotland.

Combined with law, languages can help us to interconnect. By being bilingual and speaking 5 languages, I have developed a great passion for languages especially Spanish which I have been learning for 3 years. As a result, I have fallen in love with the culture and history of Spain. Spanish, being one of the most spoken languages in the world allows you to connect to different parts of the world and gain cross-cultural understanding. It limits barriers between societies and promotes tolerance by allowing you to discover different ways of thinking and values which is pivotal in achieving social change.