New lawyer says mother’s silence inspired her legal journey

Joel Jocelyn Raj has never heard her mother’s voice, but that silence became the reason she pursued a career in law.

Raj was among 19 new legal practitioners admitted to the Bar at the Suva High Court on Friday. She grew up with a mother who is deaf and mute, an absent father, and a grandmother who never attended school.

“My mother has a disability. She cannot speak and she cannot hear. The only mode of communication with her is through sign language. I have never heard her voice in my entire life,” she said.

Raised in Suva with roots in Labasa, Vanua Levu, Ms Raj credited her uncle, Nilesh Kumar, as the father figure who supported her through the most difficult periods of her studies.

“Whenever there were dark days, he lifted me up. He pushed me harder. He raised me as if I was his own daughter,” she said.

Her 75-year-old grandmother, Miss Parvati, who never attended school, was also among those she honoured.

“I stand here as a proud granddaughter of an uneducated woman who has given me so much,” Ms Raj said.

A Bachelor of Laws and Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice graduate from the Fiji National University, Ms Raj is now seeking employment and says she is ready to serve.

Her message to others is to remain persistent through hardship.

“Never stop trying. Struggle is always there, but all struggles lead to brighter days ahead,” she said.