There are times when we want to give up, especially when it seems that the odds are all against us and there’s nothing we can do. Maybe you’ve had a particularly rough week at the office, or a personal problem seems insurmountable.
In cases like these, it helps to follow the example of someone like Malliha Wilson. We’ll dig a bit further into five things that you can learn from this accomplished individual.
1. Human Rights
There are many causes that are worth fighting for, including human rights. Everywhere across the world, people are suffering from ailments brought about by their fellow people or by the environment in which they live. Hunger, homelessness, civil war, and global warming are but a few of the issues that assault our world daily. Fortunately, there are individuals like Malliha Wilson who strive to tackle these problems through demanding work and tenacity.
Through her time spent as a litigator, Ms. Wilson has spent part of her career fighting for the rights of the Tamil people. As a Tamil Canadian herself, Malliha Wilson has fought for the cause of her people at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC). She has used her time as senior counsel to speak on behalf of the Tamil people of Sri Lanka, who were victims of various wartime abuses. Following the example of this special legal advisor, you can learn how you can help be a champion for human rights issues.
2. Education Pays Off
Another thing that we can learn from Ms. Wilson is that education can pay off. We often question how beneficial our college degrees are once we graduate. For graduates of esteemed colleges and universities like the University of New Brunswick, the University of Toronto Scarborough, and Osgoode Hall Law School, the burden of paying off that education offsets any payoffs of obtaining their degrees.
Ms. Wilson received her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, and then her law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School in 1981. Since then, she’s used both degrees to pursue a successful career as an attorney general, special legal advisor, and litigator. This successful career combined with her time spent championing human rights shows that education does pay off.
3. Government Can Work
Many of us can be a bit jaded when we think about our government in action. We see constant bickering amongst politicians, pieces of legislation that seem to go nowhere, and just a regular log jam of government inaction. Ms. Wilson, though, shows that government can work. Throughout her career as a senior appellate litigation counsel for the Ontario Government, she took part in over 20 notable cases.
Her 30 years spent in this position brought her before the highest courts of the land, the Supreme Court of Canada and the Ontario Court of Appeal. She participated in a host of far-reaching cases during her time spent with the Ontario government. Through focusing on human rights, Indigenous, constitutional, and labour law, Ms. Wilson has proven that there are those stewards who can make government work for the people.
4. Community Service
Ms. Wilson also has shown that it helps to be of service to your community. Utilizing her years of experience as a law advocate, Ms. Wilson has given back to her college community in numerous ways. She serves on the Board of the Churchill Society for the Advancement of Parliamentary Democracy, in addition to the Board of the Osgoode Hall Law School Alumni Association. By volunteering her time in such roles, she’s providing a community service to the institutions that made her who she is today. Consider giving back to your community however you can.
5. Perseverance
If there’s one main thing that can be taken from the example of Ms. Wilson, it’s that perseverance pays off. This accomplished woman has shown that through using the tools at your disposal, you can accomplish anything. Your perseverance will pay off eventually.