Steven Shergill was interested in a law career for a number of reasons, but one stood out more than others: to give back to the Canadian legal system, which not only provides stability and protection for citizens, but also allowed his forefathers from Punjab to make a home in Canada.
See below for Shergill’s valedictorian address
With that objective, the Surrey, BC, resident began setting himself up for acceptance into a law school, which included getting good grades during his Bachelor of Commerce at UBC, scoring well on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and involving himself in volunteer work that would weigh in his favour.
Steven Shergill
“When I was a kid, I always wanted to be a lawyer, but I didn’t know what that meant. But as I got older, I talked to a few more people and I knew that it was the profession I wanted to be in,” said Shergill.
“TRU was a good opportunity for me because it was close to home, it was a new school and offered courses in Aboriginal law.”
Shergill will share more of his story and advice during his valedictory address to Faculty of Law graduates on June 8. The ceremony starts at 2 p.m. in the Tournament Capital Centre.
Shergill made the most of his time at TRU—expanding his skills, networks and opportunities. He assisted law faculty member Katie Sykes with her research into Kamloops First Nations businesses and into access to justice. This past year as academic director on TRU’s Society of Law Students, he advocated for student voices on various faculty committees.
Those experiences and other have paid off, as he’s now articling with the City of Surrey’s in-house counsel.
Parting advice
His advice for law students—and really, all students for that matter—is to enjoy your time in school, learn all you can, get involved and don’t be reluctant to interact with all people.
“Law school is an overall experience, not just an academic experience,” he said. “You’re coming here to build lifelong friendships, great connections, a great network of lawyers. You want to look back and think, ‘Law school was one of the best experiences of my life,’ and I can honestly say that.”
