Keila Lewis of Portsmouth is the winner of a scholarship to study law at the University of the West Indies after her tenure at the Antigua State College where she is majoring in Economics, Law and Accounting.
Lewis, a former netballer and track and field athlete of the Portsmouth Secondary School is the daughter of Ted Lewis and Girder Bedminister.
Keila and her partner Safiya Crump won a moot court where they were prosecuting someone on rape charges. She was surprised at the end when she learned that the prize was a university scholarship. She explains that her motivation for participating in the competition was to garner experience.
“All in all, I wanted the experience. The chance to get to argue a case in front of actual judges excited me. Throughout the competition, the prizes were kept a secret so that did not have a part to play in my decision. I felt in order to enhance my studies in law, I did not only need knowledge but experience as well. And even in signing up I felt as if this competition would solidify my decision in studying law, because then I would see whether or not this is truly something I see myself doing the rest of my life.”
Lewis says that while she enjoyed watching law series on television, being a lawyer was no childhood dream of hers.
“I have always thought of it, and I have always been told that I would be good at it. But I was never certain as to whether this is actually what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. It was only late into my high school life that I decided to actually go into the field of law and take it seriously; the reason why is a bit unorthodox. I watched the Netflix show “Suits” and “How to get away with Murder” and while I know that these shows are exaggerated, I fell In love with the profession and from then, I decided to study law at the Antigua State College.”
Keila says that she is grateful for the scholarship as it will definitely assist in alleviating the financial burden on her parents as she furthers her studies.
She adds that while preparing for the moot was rigorous and a bit stressful, she was able to find a balance between her school work and preparation activities. She will never regret all the work put in as well as the many hours of practice and research.
Keila also won the award for Best Speaker and said that she was beyond happy.
“I felt elated. I have always been told that I am a good public speaker but hearing actual judges name me as the Best Speaker made me very emotional.”
She expressed thanks to all those who assisted her in one way or another.
“I just want to thank God first of all for giving me the health and the strength throughout the competition. I was not well on the day of the finals and He gave me the strength to push through. Thanks also to my coach for taking time off to guide me through this competition. And lastly, I want to thank everyone who supported me and believed in me. Special thanks to my mom for always being my encouragement and giving me the confidence needed for anything I aspire to do and to my dad who helped me with the endless research required and always demanding the best from me”.
Keila’s mom, Girder Bedminister says that she was locked in to both the semi finals and finals which were broadcasted live.
“I was excited and nervous but I also knew that she has what it takes to win the competition and I always told her that. She was not feeling 100 percent and the mother in me was nervous that her health would have affected her performance but by God’s grace, it didn’t. I could tell that she was in so much pain the day of the final,but you were not able to tell; her strength shone through. I was so proud when she was named Best Speaker. I cried, I prayed, I experienced so many different emotions that day because she deserves it. She worked hard and did a lot of research. She is a great daughter and she deserves it. The competition was tight but she put all she had in it and it paid off.”
Keila and her partner also won an internship at Richards & Company law firm and a cash prize.Emonews extends congratulations to Keila Lewis and her family.
