It is the season of graduation for incoming lawyers in Ghana and elsewhere around the world. During this time, people share their stories and successes with the rest of us in appreciation of their journeys. In this same vein, a young Ghanaian lady, Adelaide Abena Frimpomaa Baah-Frimpong has shared the inspiring story of her many failures that have led her to where she is today. In her own words, here is her story:
It is the story of how I started pursuing academic excellence and a career in Law. For 11 years, it felt like a dream that would never come to pass. It has been 6years of countless adrenaline rush and fear at the thought of a pending examination results.
I started studying Law in 2011 and finished my first degree in 2015. I failed my first attempt at the entrance exam to law school. I decided to go do my LLM in US. I applied and got all supporting documents. I went for the visa interview and got denied. 6 months later I tried again and still got denied visa. A day after the denial, I wrote the entrance exam again and got admission in 2016.
I wrote my first Bar exam in 2017 and failed 4 papers which meant all the 6 I passed were wasted and I needed to repeat the course. I had now delivered my daughter through C.S and faced postpartum depression alone and secretly so I deferred the course in 2018. I was going through a painful separation but decided to try again. A week to the Bar exam, I received a petition for divorce which broke me all over again. I knew I had to defer again to 2020 because I knew another failure would ruin me forever.
I went back to law school again in 2020. I was bitter, sad and hurt but I still went anyway. I wrote my first 6 papers and failed 2. In 2021 I resat the 2 failed papers with the 4 I had to write that year. I failed 2 again out of the 6 papers.
This year, March 2022, I resat the 2 papers I failed. I passed and found my name in the enrollment list.
June 24, 2022 became the day I was called to the Bar. Until I was handed my certificate, I was still waiting and expecting probably to see my name no longer on the list. Today is 25th and it still feels like a dream. I reached the point where I thought it was probably not meant for me but still knew until I am breathless, I couldnt stop pursuing.
I just want to inspire you reading today. If you think you’ve struggled too much, just hold on and don’t give up. Delay is not denial. I will take any opporrunity I ever get, on radio or Tv or any form of media to inspire others, especially women like me who have to pull themselves through the teeth each day.