‘From adversity to advocacy’ - Rodain Richardson overcomes mother’s gun attack and is now ‘lawyer-in-waiting’

Rodain Richardson was at home preparing for examinations one Friday evening in February, when he got a telephone call that threatened to turn his world upside down.

His mother, he was told, was shot and injured and his stepfather killed in the attack.

"I remember feeling my heart plummeted to the ground. I was lost for words, but simultaneously feeling like life has been preparing me in response to traumatic situations," Richardson said.

The thought of his mother not being around to see him being called to the Bar as an attorney-at-law crossed his mind. It has always been her desire for him to achieve his dream of becoming a lawyer. Mentally, Richardson has been down tough pathways before. However, nothing compared to the horrifying thoughts he had after the shocking phone call.

"I went to KPH (Kingston Public Hospital) to find my mother seriously injured, having received multiple gunshot wounds. I learnt that my stepfather was killed, and so I started to feel like I was about to lose my mother. I remember feeling confused, and I also remember feeling as though I couldn't feel any of those feelings because I had to be steady, I had to be focused," Richardson said.

A Prime Minister Youth awardee and youth motivator, Richardson has never been daunted by challenges. He has worked three jobs simultaneously while being a full-time student at the Faculty of Law at at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona. Transitioning into university, he had a small stint at a janitorial company that required using manpower.

Richardson said that he was often asked, 'Wah yah do? Yuh supposed to be big lawyer soon, yuh a work a dem place yah?'

"That didn't deter me," he told THE WEEKEND STAR. "I understood what I was aiming for, I understood what I wanted to achieve, and I felt that it was very important for me not to rely solely on things to come my way, but to go for it."

Faced with the toughest test in his life, the Ardenne High School alumnus was determined not to allow the tragedy that had come up on his family to force him off course. Administrators at the Norman Manley Law School, where he was reading for his practising certificate to become a lawyer, asked whether he needed time off to deal with his personal issues. Richardson, though, put the bit between his teeth and fought.

"At this time my support system became more relevant, they rallied around me through the period of uncertainty. I endured pressure like I have never felt before. I had to really clench and draw on my ability to be resilient and my courage to endure," he said.

"Notwithstanding what would have been the outcome of my mother, she would have wanted me to complete this journey and become an attorney-at-law. I capitalised on my fear, anger, depression and my courage. I used everything that I was feeling and experiencing to ensure that I passed my exams," Richardson said.

The journey to law school was somewhat unexpected, as Richardson did the sciences while at Ardenne and was expected to apply for medical school.

"I questioned myself about what I wanted to do for the rest of my life, then I recognised I had a passion for representation and advocacy. I recognised as well that one should follow their passion, because where your passion goes your energy flows. Law is my calling, I am destined to serve my nation, my clients and anyone that asks of my service," Richardson said.

The former youth parliamentarian for Kingston Central expects to graduate in September before being called to the Bar in December.

"I am extremely grateful that my mother will be able to see me graduate and become an attorney. Through three key elements, God, self-confidence and my support system, I have made it through," he said.