Following LAWS’ expansion to Osgoode Hall Law School in 2011, students from both C.W. Jefferys and Westview Centnnial Secondary School had the opportunity to join the program for the first time. Both schools are composed of students who reside primarily in the Jane-Finch corridor and are eager to explore new opportunities.
Radhika Sharma was one of those students. “The LAWS program has been invaluable to me,” Rahika states. “The program provided a gateway of opportunities to students like me who were situated in a low-income neighbourhood where there weren’t many opportunities or resources available to pursue post-secondary education.” While in high school, Radhika got her first summer job through LAWS where she was placed at the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO). While shadowing the lawyers and the law students at the LCO, she was inspired to pursue legal education.
After graduating high school, Radhika was offered employment at the LCO, where she worked for four years while completing her undergraduate degree in Political Science at York University. With the help of the LCO staff and students, as well as the free Law School Access Program at the University of Toronto Facutly of Law, Radhika was able to successfully navigate the law school application process.
Radhika is now proud to join the 1L class at Osgoode. She has worked really hard along the way and persevered. “Essentially, if I had not joined the LAWS program, I may have succumbed to the reality that many of my peers faced – that of having no guidance as to how to pave a path towards legal education. For that, I am thankful!”
