When Vasco Perry returned to the Cave Hill Campus of the University of the West Indies five years ago, it wasn’t only to prove to himself that he could do it. He wanted to show his soon to be 16-year-old daughter Amanda that dreams can become a reality.
“The first reason I got involved in law was to complete a dream which started in 1983. I had to abort O’level law because of a lack of funds and try to work and build up my family, being a child that time. So that went out of the window for quite some time because I went into the ministry. Now I’m completing that dream.
“The second reason is to inspire my daughter because I figure that she needs a role model and I wanted to, not just be a moral role model, but one who works hard at studies as well so that she can see that and model it. She is a bright young girl but sometimes I found she was a little too relaxed. I wanted her to realise that you have to work hard even to get through at studying, so I did that,” he said during an interview with EASY.
Last month, the 49-year-old Perry was among the 50 attorneys who were recently admitted to the Bar in a ceremony at the Supreme Court. Since then he has been putting what he learnt in the classroom into into practice.
Just how difficult was it for the attorney-at-law and pastor to get back into the routine of lectures and assignments?
“It was very difficult to get back into studying but I would always do a lot of reading so it was a matter of shifting it almost solely into law. It was difficult in the beginning but when you get through the first year at Cave Hill, it’s sort of like building upstream so it was steady going,” he said.
“It was not easy going to Trinidad [Hugh Wooding Law School] at all. Leaving my family and congregation for two years, but the congregation was in able hands.
“Many nights I wondered why I was doing this but again the reasons why I started kept me there. There were many tears, frustrations, fears, but I often said to myself this is not necessarily my journey.
“I’m the person leading or walking it but they’re so many other persons that are with me inclusive of God Almighty who’s leading me on this journey and so I fought through.
“But it’s not something I want to do again, he said with a laughing.
For the last few weeks he has been working with senior attorney Anthony Audain at his Christ church office but Perry explained this is where he did the in-service aspect of the degree in June.
“I’m trying to learn as much as I can from him until such time as wherever God leads me….To be honest it has been exciting and challenging. I’m learning that bookwork could be different from practice itself….So you have to take some time to learn the practice so you get the hang of it.
“I’m doing more learning now than putting things into practice. Of course some of the things you would have learnt you have to put them into practice, things such as opinions, but you learn along the way. It is a very interesting learning curve,” was how he summed it up.
He said that corporate law excites him although he was not ruling out practising certain aspects of criminal law.
“In terms of law I’m looking to get into the corporate side. That is my intention but as I get my feet wet in different areas the one that touches me most is the one I will end up in. From all the studying I’ve done I’m looking at the corporate and commercial side of law.
“Criminal law needs a special kind of attorney and I’m not so sure I’m that kind of attorney yet and I have to find out if I am. I’ve been exposed to the corporate world before so I am fairly comfortable there. … I’m not going to rule it out but I’m not going to run for it either.
“It’s exciting in the corporate world, it is very exciting. One of the things that drove me to this is that I sat on a board – the National Council on Substance Abuse – for five years, from 2008 to 2013.
That experience, being there and helping shape things and understanding the inner workings of the corporation and all the things that come along with it and the different stakeholders and everything were really exciting and I liked that.
“I like the idea of seeing conglomerates grow, reading about them and I like that sometimes I sit and go through the Internet and read about different companies I like the fact that most companies usually start as an idea and flourishes into this real thing. I like that,” he said.
The pastor of the Church of God in Chelsea Road is still firmly focused on his ministry and he is grateful and appreciative of the team of people who stepped in and helped when he was studying.
“We have a cadre of really great people at the church, they do step up and help a lot and there’s the eldership. So instead of being the only leader, I have a set of leaders and that helps a whole lot. Right now my main focus is to prepare sermons, deliver sermons and give wisdom and direction.
“A lot of the administration work of pastoring I have relinquished to a very able team and that is how we intend to carry it forward and grow the leadership team as well,” he said.
Church has him “fairly busy” but the group of elders ensures that he doesn’t have to take part in every task and “that helps a lot” as he finds the balance with work, his family and the church.
(Green Bananas Media.)
