Hello everyone! My name is Karina and I’m excited to be joining the Heron Law Offices team as their first ever articling student.
I was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta by my parents and my maternal grandmother, all of whom immigrated to Canada from East Africa in the 1970s and 80s.
My parents placed me in French Immersion in kindergarten and I continued through Grade 12, earning a bilingual International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma alongside my high school diploma in 2015.
My favourite subject growing up was social studies, which led to me competing in regional and provincial-level speech and debate competitions in middle school. It also piqued my interest in politics and government. I went on to graduate with a Joint Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences in History and in Political Science from the University of Ottawa in 2020.
During my undergrad, I met a professor who fueled my passion for refugee law and international human rights, and invited me to work on a case study about a small but mighty group of volunteers at a local parish involved in newcomer sponsorship and settlement. This collaboration turned into me co-authoring a book called Ordinary People, Extraordinary Actions, which was published in Spring 2022. My chapters specifically focus on a sanctuary case for a failed refugee claimant and the volunteer group’s advocacy for the implementation of the Refugee Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board.
At the height of the pandemic, I started law school fully online in the Common Law Section of the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law. I jointly pursued a master’s degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University.
While I was in law school, I worked as a research assistant for the Refugee Hub (now Pathways International). I summered twice at an Ottawa-based boutique immigration and refugee law firm, and completed two internships – one with a small immigration, criminal advisory and family law firm in Ottawa and the other remotely with Will, which is how my journey with Heron Law Offices began. I was also involved with several student clubs including the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers (CARL) and Canadian Lawyers for International Human Rights (CLAIHR).
I graduated from the dual JD/MA program this past June. After nine years in Ottawa, I returned to Calgary temporarily as I prepared for the bar exams, and I officially moved to Burnaby earlier this month.
My goal during my articling term is to learn as much as I can about different areas of immigration practice to diversify my skills and set myself up as a well-rounded immigration lawyer.
Outside of the office, I’m part of a Calgary-based Bollywood dance company. I’m a fan of all things pop culture and reality tv, and I enjoy baking – I make a mean mixed fruit crumble!
I’m grateful to Will and the rest of the Heron Law Offices team for this opportunity, and I’m looking forward to this chapter of my legal career, which has already been filled with interesting work and out-of-the-box thinking.
Read Karina’s profile here.
