Interview with Equal Voice - How Legal Mentorship by Alanis Came to Be

What was the most inspiring moment from DOV?

The most inspiring moment was getting to hear the statements from our selected Delegates in the House of Commons. Each delegate spoke about matters that really mattered to them, from Missing and Murdered Indigenous women, to the importance of donating stem cells to save a life – our delegates were truly inspiring and empowering. All of our delegates are active in their local communities, they care about topics concerning our nation at large, and they care about people. It was an honor to participate in the program alongside them.

Even after the initiative ended, we have stayed in contact with each other and it has been amazing to follow along their journeys. Some delegates have even run for parliament and it has been wonderful to see.

So, to answer your question, the most inspiring moment from DOV has been being able to learn from my fellow delegates and from their experiences.

How would you describe the DOV experience?

Overall, the DOV experience was a great experience that has led me to even more incredible experiences.

Of course, it was unfortunate that it had to be held online due to COVID, but I am so grateful to still have been able to hear from Senators, Members of Parliament, the leaders of each political party, and Equal Voice Board Members.

So many speakers shared wise words and what was so important to me was getting to hear about what it’s like to be a woman in politics because there is so much involved. Many women in politics are mothers and that requires a lot of hard work so of course learning about how to find a work life balance, was very valuable to me.

Overall, the experience was inspirational, rewarding, and has helped me to understand what I would like to do in the future which is to pursue law but also continue to be involved in local politics in any way that I can.

What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about our political system?

The biggest lesson I’ve learned about our political system is that we need more women and gender diverse people to be elected in parliament. Even after our most recent federal election, with 102 elected women, Canada has just reached 30% representation in the House of Commons. Until it is at 50%, there is still more work to be done.

And this is precisely why Equal Voice is so important. Through public awareness campaigns, campaign schools, research, election tracking, and lobbying political parties, Equal Voice seeks to increase the numbers of women elected to public office federally, provincially and municipally. In order to ensure that more women are elected in Canada, it is critical that Canada’s political parties adopt action plans to break down barriers for women in politics.

Not only must we celebrate women who are currently in politics, we need to also raise awareness about the impact of women’s under-representation and encourage women to run!

Where did the idea of your community-project come from?

As a first-generation law student who always knew that I wanted to become a lawyer, I benefited a lot from free mentorship. I never had any lawyers to look up to so growing up, I would beg my parents to introduce me to any other their lawyer friends and they happily agreed. I would finally get to ask real-life lawyers things that I couldn’t research online like: what their day-to-day looked like, what tasks they did, what they liked and disliked – and this really helped me to get to where I am today. I eventually studied Political Science at the University of Toronto and then Law at the University of Leicester and will be a licensed lawyer soon.

With all this being said, when I got offered the Rosemary Speirs Leadership Grant, I knew I wanted to use it but didn’t know what for. And when I began to brainstorm of ways that I could help my community, naturally, I thought of how I have acquired so much knowledge about law school and getting licensed in Ontario, and I was certain that this experience could be helpful to other students.

This is how Legal Mentorship by Alanis came to be. Through my community project, I mentor students of all ages who are interested in law and in need a free mentor.

What did you learn from creating this project?

From creating this project, I learned how big of a need there was for something like this. I have helped dozens of students by answering their questions about law school exams, law school applications, studying abroad, NCA exams, and I’ve even helped some students with their undergraduate courses and finding jobs. I’ve also connected students with fellow Canadian law students to help them further.

After meeting with students, I always receive wonderful messages of thanks and this is quite fulfilling and rewarding. I have also learned that there is much for ME to learn from the students. Their tenacity, hard work and determined demeanors inspire me to keep going every day.

What are you proud of?

I am so proud of having been a delegate of DOV in March and all I have done since them. This year, I have been elected as a Director of the Canadian Hispanic Bar Association, Secretary of the Ontario Bar Association (Student Section Executive), Member-at-Large of the Canadian Bar Association (Law Students Section), and Advocacy Committee Member of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario.

I am so proud of my initiative and all the students I have met through it, which is why I plan on continuing it for as long as I can.

And finally, I am proud of getting elected as a Director at Large of Equal Voice’s National Board of Directors.

DOV inspired me to apply to many of these roles so I am extremely grateful to have gotten the opportunity to be a Delegate for Brampton Centre.