GRADUATING CLASS OF 2022

VALEDICTORIAN-MARTINAMAGALHAESINTERVIEW

HOW DID YOU FIND OUT THAT YOU WERE THE VALEDICTORIAN? WHAT WERE THE VARIOUS EMOTIONS?

I HAD ACTUALLY JUST WOKEN UP FROM 15-MINUTE NAP IN BETWEEN CLASSES (BECAUSE YES, LAW SCHOOL IS THAT HECTIC YOU ACTUALLY HAVE TO SCHEDULE YOUR NAPS) WHEN MY ALARM WENT OFF, I GRABBED MY PHONE TO TURN OFF MY ALARM AND SAW AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION STATING THAT I WAS SELECTED AS VALEDICTORIAN NOW, AS THE TRINIS WOULD SAY, “I WOKE UP STUPID” SINCE I WAS STILL FIGHTING OFF THE POST-NAP GROGGINESS I KID YOU NOT, I LAY ON MY COUCH FOR A GOOD FIVE MINUTES WONDERING IF I WAS DREAMING OR WHETHER IT WAS REAL (AS CLICHÉ AS THAT SOUNDS, THAT NAP WAS TOO GOOD ) THEN I SAW A COUPLE OF EMAILS FROM THE GUILD PRESIDENT AND THE UNIVERSITY’S COMMUNICATIONS BRANCH PRETTY MUCH CONFIRMING THAT IT WAS REAL THAT’S WHEN THE VARIOUS EMOTIONS STARTED HITTING ME

FIRSTLY, IF YOU KNOW ME WELL, YOU’D KNOW THAT I ABSOLUTELY DETEST (EMPHASIS MINE) PUBLIC SPEAKING THE IRONY, RIGHT? A FUTURE ATTORNEY-AT-LAW WHO HATES SPEAKING? UNHEARD OF I STARTED TO GET REALLY ANXIOUS ABOUT THE THOUGHT OF ADDRESSING MY PEERS BUT THEN I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS THOSE SAME PEERS WHO BELIEVED IN ME AND WHO SELECTED ME AS THEIR VALEDICTORIAN MY ANXIETY IMMEDIATELY TURNED INTO GRATITUDE FEELS LIKE A FEVER DREAM

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE ENTIRETY OF YOUR UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE? DESCRIBE YOUR JOURNEY THROUGH UNIVERSITY INDUCING THE COVID19 PANDEMIC AND ONLINE SCHOOL

IF I HAD TO DESCRIBE MY ENTIRE EXPERIENCE IN JUST A FEW WORDS, I’D SAY “INTENSE BUT WORTH IT”

MY FIRST YEAR WAS A WHIRLWIND OF EXCITEMENT I TRIED MY BEST TO WORK HARD AND PLAY EVEN HARDER WHICH MEANT A LOT OF SACRIFICES WHETHER IT WAS PULLING ALL-NIGHTERS IN ORDER TO GO TO A PARTY, LIVING IN THE LAW LIBRARY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS STRAIGHT, SURVIVING THE EXAM SEASON OFF OF THE RAMEN IN THE DIFFERENT EXAM PACKAGES OR LUGGING MY TEXTBOOKS AND GETTING SAND IN MY LAPTOP AFTER CLASSES JUST TO CATCH THE SUNSET SO YOU CAN ONLY IMAGINE THE DIFFERENCE FROM MY CHAOTIC, SOCIAL FIRST YEAR TO A VERY SOCIALLYDISTANCED SECOND YEAR

I LEFT TWO DAYS AFTER THE UNIVERSITY ANNOUNCED THAT CLASSES WERE BEING SUSPENDED IT ALL HAPPENED VERY QUICKLY FROM BOOKING MY FLIGHT HOME, TO PACKING MY BAGS, TO SPENDING THE LAST COUPLE OF HOURS WITH MY FRIENDS AND THEN FINALLY FLYING BACK HOME FOR WHAT WE ALL THOUGHT WOULD BE TWO WEEKS THE PANDEMIC WAS A PRETTY DIFFICULT TIME AND I OFTEN CAUGHT MYSELF WONDERING WHETHER IT WAS WORTH IT TO EVEN PUSH THROUGH THE LLB

ADJUSTING TO THE ONLINE ENVIRONMENT WAS ALSO NOT EASY I REMEMBER DOWNLOADING ZOOM FOR THE FIRST TIME AND HOPING THAT IT WOULDN’T GIVE MY LAPTOP A VIRUS ALSO, TAKING CLASSES AND EXAMS WITH FOUR OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS AT HOME WAS NO EASY FEAT NOW AND THEN I’D SIT IN THE DRAWING ROOM WITH MY GRANNY TO TAKE AFTERNOON CLASSES AND WHENEVER HER PHONE WOULD RING DURING MY CLASSES, SHE’D ALWAYS ANSWER AND SAY, “I’LL CALL YOU BACK, I’M IN CLASS RIGHT NOW STUDYING TO BE A LAWYER”

I RETURNED TO BARBADOS IN THE SECOND SEMESTER OF MY SECOND YEAR, ABOUT SIX MONTHS BEFORE TRINIDAD RE-OPENED ITS BORDERS AT THAT TIME, I WASN’T SURE WHEN THE BORDERS WOULD BE RE-OPENED BUT I LEFT DETERMINED TO MAKE THE MOST OF WHAT REMAINED OF MY UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE THOUGH WE WERE STILL ONLINE, I LEARNT MORE ABOUT MYSELF AND REGAINED MY INDEPENDENCE THERE HAS BEEN SO MUCH GROWTH FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY LLB JOURNEY TO THE END AND I DON’T THINK MARTINA IN 2019 WOULD RECOGNISE MARTINA IN 2023

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY?

WHAT YOUR PLANS AFTER GRADUATION FROM THE UNIVERSITY?

I AM CURRENTLY IN MY FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL AT THE HUGH WOODING LAW SCHOOL, IN TRINIDAD LATER I I AM CURRENTLY IN MY FIRST YEAR OF LAW SCHOOL AT THE HUGH WOODING LAW SCHOOL, IN TRINIDAD LATER I WOULD LOVE TO PURSUE MY LLM IN INVESTMENT AND TRADE LAW I LOVE ACADEMIA AND WHILST I AM ENJOYING MY WOULD LOVE TO PURSUE MY IN INVESTMENT AND TRADE LAW I LOVE ACADEMIA AND WHILST I AM ENJOYING MY TIME AT LAW SCHOOL, I MISS WRITING ESSAYS, I MISS READING JOURNAL ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS. TIME LAW SCHOOL, I MISS WRITING ESSAYS, I MISS READING JOURNAL ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS AFTER THE AFTER LLM, I’M NOT QUITE SURE YET LLM, I’M NOT QUITE SURE YET

WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT THE UNIVERSITY?

WHAT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WERE YOU INVOLVED IN AT THE UNIVERSITY?

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A FIRM BELIEVER OF THE SAYING, “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY”. I

I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A FIRM BELIEVER OF THE SAYING, “ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES JACK A DULL BOY” I CERTAINLY LIVED BY THAT PRINCIPLE IN MY FIRST YEAR OF PHYSICAL SCHOOL! I ATTENDED ALL OF THE ISLAND CERTAINLY LIVED BY THAT PRINCIPLE IN MY FIRST YEAR OF PHYSICAL I ATTENDED ALL OF THE ISLAND ASSOCIATION CULTURE NIGHTS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, CHURCH SERVICES, FOOD DAYS AND OF COURSE THE FETES ASSOCIATION CULTURE NIGHTS, PANEL DISCUSSIONS, CHURCH SERVICES, FOOD AND OF COURSE THE FETES (BIG UP VINSA ONE TIME) UP ONE TIME) I ALSO LIVED ON THE ILLUSTRIOUS, CASTLE ON THE HILL (EMPHASIS MINE), THE SIR I ALSO LIVED ON THE ILLUSTRIOUS, CASTLE ON THE HILL (EMPHASIS MINE), THE SIR FRANK WORRELL HALL AND FOR ANYONE WHO LIVED ON HALL, YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS FRANK HALL FOR ANYONE WHO LIVED ON HALL, UNDERSTAND THAT THERE WAS ALWAYS AN ACTIVITY, EVENT OR COMPETITION AS A PROUD RESIDENT OF THE BLOCK 8 DIVAS, I PARTICIPATED IN ALWAYS AN ACTIVITY, OR COMPETITION AS A RESIDENT OF THE 8 DIVAS, I PARTICIPATED IN ALL OF THE EVENTS AND EVEN WENT UP FOR THE HALLS PAGEANT! I ALSO ATTENDED DIFFERENT LAW FACULTY ALL OF THE EVENTS AND EVEN WENT UP FOR THE HALLS PAGEANT! I ALSO ATTENDED DIFFERENT LAW FACULTY EVENTS I REMEMBER FOR OUR FIRST LAW WEEK, MY FRIENDS AND I WERE SO EXTRA IN COORDINATING OUR DAILY EVENTS I REMEMBER FOR OUR FIRST LAW WEEK, MY FRIENDS AND I WERE SO EXTRA IN COORDINATING OUR DAILY OUTFITS – FROM PYJAMA DAY STRAIGHT DOWN TO SPORTS DAY I ALSO OFTEN THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE OUTFITS – FROM PYJAMA DAY STRAIGHT DOWN TO SPORTS DAY I ALSO OFTEN THINK ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE PILED 30+ LAW STUDENTS INTO A ZR FOR SPORTS DAY PILED 30+ LAW STUDENTS INTO A ZR FOR SPORTS DAY

APART FROM THE VARIOUS UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES, I SERVED AS THE SECRETARY FOR BOTH TTSA (BIG UP MY TTSA FROM THE VARIOUS UNIVERSITY ACTIVITIES, I AS THE SECRETARY FOR BOTH TTSA (BIG UP MY FAM) AND THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE IN MY SECOND YEAR FOR MY FINAL YEAR, I SERVED AS THE FAM) AND THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS IN MY SECOND YEAR FOR MY FINAL YEAR, I SERVED AS THE CHAIRWOMAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ON THE GUILD OF STUDENTS CHAIRWOMAN OF THE INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS COMMITTEE ON THE GUILD OF STUDENTS