Sasha-Ann Moses has had a passion for singing and the law since primary school. With determination, she set herself on both paths but almost stumbled when a teacher tried to discourage her from going into law. Fortunately, she ignored him and, on November 11, she passed the bar, making her the first female calypsonian attorney in TT.

Moses, 26, told WMN she felt very relieved when she learned she had passed her all her exams, because it was something she had been working, wishing and praying for since her pre-teens. At her graduation, she could not believe she was at the end if a six-year journey. It felt so unreal that she wandered if the school made a mistake or would want the certificate back. But, by the time she was called to the bar, her achievement had settled in and she was thankful for making it through.

“In primary school a teacher asked what we wanted to be when we grew up. I wanted to be a lawyer. I had a lot of questions as to why certain things were the way they were in the country.

“I realised most people don’t really know much about the law or their rights. I wanted to go down that route so I could help persons to be aware of the country’s legislation and what rights are afforded to them.”

Therefore, after attending Mt Lambert RC Primary School and San Juan South Secondary School, Moses went to UWI Open Campus where she did a certificate in business management and technology.

Many of her classmates also wanted to do law, but one teacher told them the law faculty was very difficult to get into, and instead advised them to apply to another faculty to stay in the university system.

[caption id="attachment_990422" align="alignnone" width="910"] Sasha-Ann Moses performs The Main Witness to win the National Calypso Queen Competition at Queen's Hall, Port of Spain, on March 13, 2017. FILE PHOTO/SUREASH CHOLAI. -[/caption]

“I don’t think he had a lot of confidence in us. After he said that, I was a bit two-minded about it. I was discouraged, thinking maybe I wasn’t good enough or that I underestimated what it took to start that journey in law. His statement was a hit in the face and it make me second-guess myself. But I still applied to the law faculty and I got through in 2016.”

She completed her bachelor of laws (LLB) at UWI in 2020, and her legal education certificate (LEC) at Hugh Wooding Law School earlier this year.

Around the same time she developed her legal ambition, Moses started singing background vocals for a friend in school competitions while attending Mt Lambert RC. At age 12, her standard five teacher encouraged the class, and her in particular, to participate in the National Schools Soca Monarch competition that year. She was hesitant to try it but she spoke with her mother, Noeline Brown, who was eager to see her daughter on stage.

“My mom is involved in Best Village, first as a dancer and now as a judge, so she was trying to get me involved in the arts for a long time, but she knew I was shy and didn’t push. So when I spoke to her about going up for the competition,