I Promised Myself I Wouldn’t Cry …

Navid Nikou (3L)

Just a couple of weeks ago, our faculty held its 2009 Open House for prospective students. As a volunteer I met some of the incoming students that will soon fill the hallways of the Law Centre. During the small group sessions, it dawned on me how quickly the last three years have passed by. Ironically it has also been the most eventful three years of my life.

If earning a law degree wasn’t enough, my three years here also allowed me to be part of an undefeated softball team at Law’s a Beach, co-found Navisha with Aleisha Bartier (the yin to my yang), spend three very busy years with Canons, help co-write a property manuscript (which will hopefully become mandatory reading for all future law students. Come on residual income!), participate in SLS’ Criminal and Pro Bono Projects, work with amazing lawyers at ATB Financial, and of course just a few minutes of foosball!

I also had the fortune of meeting and spending time with Madam Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, Chief Justice Allan Wachowich, Madam Justice J.E. Topolniski, Rob Curtis (the original founder of Canons), far too many great professors and practitioners to mention, our wonderful faculty staff, and of course a great group of classmates, including my own angels named Kate, Kerry, and Jessie.

Before coming to law school we all had different pasts, and we will all soon embark on vastly different futures. But we all have one thing in common; the decision to go back to Junior High, er, Law School! Well, at least this time around there is no one throwing paper airplanes from the back of the class (other than Cam Jeffries), no one gets in trouble for not paying attention in class (Denver Brust), most of us don’t insist on trying to keep fitting into our prepubescent jeans (Bryan Crozier or alternatively Shaun Hohman, aka the skinny jeans twins).

This time around we have much better control over our emotions when things don’t go our way in endeavors such as foosball (Robbie Armfield, or Jimmy Sladek’s ball throwing tantrums). We all work very hard on our education (Mike Gabriel). We don’t take part in juvenile rough housing and break windows (once again the skinny jeans twins), or juvenile eating contests (Sharon Au and Alex Coombes). The girls no longer fall in love with the first guy they see in a uniform (Summer Lane). We’re not always on the lookout for a new best friend in each class (Chris Heisler). We’re no longer little balls of energy bouncing off the walls (Wendy Wang). We don’t hand out chocolates in order to make friends (Zachary Bodmer). And most importantly, we no longer have to resort to dancing in order to meet girls (Lee Satveit). Before you cue Dirty Dancing’s Time of My Life, lets not forget how much work it took to get to this point. But looking back, I wouldn’t change a single thing about the last three years.

To all 1Ls and 2Ls, I hope your journey will be as memorable as mine, and to all 3Ls, see you all at the reunion!