our region, for four years; and
Notre Dame’s Seminary next-
door, for only one year. I was
supposed to spend ten more
years at different seminaries
until being consecrated as a
priest. At Notre Dame, my su-
periors decided that I needed
to spend the next two years
with my family and to reflect
on my priest vocation. The
next school year, I was with
my family, and the idea of be-
coming a priest was always in
my mind until I was upset by a
new idea: becoming a lawyer.
if the belligerents agree to dis-
cuss it, rather than just quarrel.
And the best way to resolve it
is to be confident and optimis-
tic without being arrogant.” In
brief, he was a lawyer. I was
fascinated by him; I wanted
to be a lawyer like him, even
though becoming a priest was
still my first choice. But, as
time passed, I got more con-
fused: the idea of becoming a
lawyer started to take root. De-
spite my new idea, I wondered,
“How could I ever abandon
my priest’s vocation?” But the
more time I spent with Mama-
During those two years at dou Lamine (my coach), the
home, I continued to play soc- more the idea of becom-
cer on our village team during ing a lawyer grew on me.
vacations, and things started to
change. We had a new coach, a I was stuck on the horns of a
son of the village who used to dilemma: choosing between a
come back to spend time with priest’s profession or a law-
us during the vacations. He yer’s profession. Both of them
was an eloquent and persua- corresponded to my ambition,
sive person, always calm and which has always been to
optimistic. He never gave his combat injustice and defend
position in a disagreement be- its victims. Before the end of
fore hearing different versions. my last year with my fami-
He used to tell us, “Any kind of ly, I made the decision with-
problem can have its solution out consulting anybody that
35
would determine my future.
After earning my college de-
gree, I decided not go to back
to seminary, but rather to at-
tend Dakar’s Cheikh Anta
Diop University and study law
in 2006 so that I could become
a lawyer. I was accepted by the
law department in private law,
which was my choice. I had
to repeat my first and second
years, but I didn’t give up. My
choice was already made, and
it was based on the fact that the
rule of law is superior to any
other rule in society, whether
religious, moral, or customary.
So, it would be beneficial to
use the law, combined with the
other rules of society, to reach
my ambition.
In 2010-2011, I got my bach-
elor’s degree in Criminal Law
and my Master of Environ-
mental Law in 2012-2013. In
July 2016, I flew to the Unit-
ed States after working as a
trainee at the Ministry of En-
vironment in Legal Affairs.
Speaking more than one in-
ternational language, as well
as five African languages, and
then learning about other judi-
cial systems has pushed me to
leave my Senegal and my be-
loved natal village, Kagguitte,
for the United States. Today,
I’m planning to attend Univer-
sity of the District of Colum-
bia School of Law, starting
in August, 2019, and take the
DC Bar Exam after getting my
J.D. in American criminal law.