Destiny fulfilled by God’s design
FROM STUDYING under a street light and candlelight to attending high school for several days with only $15 for bus fare in her pocket, newly minted attorney-at-law Kay-Ann Swaby was always determined to rise above her circumstances.
Watching her mother, a domestic helper, struggling to make ends meet and experiencing first-hand how difficult her job was, it was Swaby’s resolve then to tread an easier and more successful path, with education as a passport.
Becoming an attorney-at-law was never in Swaby’s plan, as she had always dreamt of becoming a doctor.
But, by God’s design, the 36-year-old mother of one, who started out as a cashier, was re-directed to the field of law, after completing a bachelor’s degree in social work at the Jamaica Theological Seminary, and a certificate in paralegal studies.
The Edith Dalton James High past student and St Andrew native, who hails from the Whitehall community, was called to the Bar on December 19 last year and is currently honing her skills as a paralegal in one of the country’s top law firms.
Looking back on the hardship she endured and the sacrifices, Swaby was especially proud to experience the gratifying moment with her son, Rayhan Evans, her mother Myrtle Young, and mentor and second mother, Carron Hylton.
“That moment that will be etched in my mind forever, the day I was being called to the Bar and Mommy said to me,‘I am proud of you; a nuff dirty clothes mi wash fi send you a school, a nuff hungry me bear fi mek sure yuh eat’,” she proudly recalled being told by her mother while fighting back her tears.
Swaby, who was very emotional as she relived the challenges she had to overcome, said the turning point for her came on one of the many trips she took with her mother, whom she would often assist with her domestic job.
“In high school, while studying for CXC, I remember having to go with Mommy when she has to go work and help her. So she is washing and I am doing something.
“I remember being there with her one day and she was washing. At this time, washing machine
wasn’t so prevalent, so she was always washing with her hands and I sat there and said ‘I am not going to do this, that’s not the life I want, I am not going to sit down over a pan of clothes and wash, I am not going to do this’,” Swaby remembers vowing to herself.
Swaby, who is the last of five children for her mother and the only child for her late father, gardener Granville Swaby, described her life growing up as “rough”.
“In primary school, Mommy didn’t really have it. I remember having to come home during the days [because] she did not have it to buy lunch all the time,” she said.
The hardship continued while she was attending high school.
“While going there, there were days when Mommy did not have lunch money, but, on those days, my friend Latisha Levy used to call me and say, ‘Kay, see if you can even find the bus fare’. And even though it was only $15 for the bus fare, Mommy could not find it.
“I remember her having to search every bag and everything. She would dig up and search. She couldn’t find the $15 and sometimes she did find it and I would go and my friend would buy lunch for me and or give me bus fare to come back to school the next day.”
Swaby also recalled that, during her high-school years, when her mother moved to Southborough in Portmore, St Catherine, they didn’t have any electricity at home for some time.
She vividly recalls not having electricity at home during her preparation for Caribbean Examinations Council external exams, and having to utilise light from a nearby street lamp at nights while sitting on her verandah. She would also use candles.
However, the teachers at school got wind of the situation and purchased a fluorescent rechargeable lamp, which her neighbours would charge for her in the days.
Despite her struggles, Swaby graduated with seven subjects and, although she wanted to move on to sixth form, could not as her mother could not afford it.
Knowing now that she would have to work to finance her studies, Swaby secured a job at a gas station as a cashier and, a year l a te r, was introduced to attorney Jeffrey Daley, who took a chance on her and employed her as a legal secretary.
HAD NO INTEREST IN LAW
While there, Swaby, who is always yearning for knowledge, took a course in paralegal studies and later went on to complete her social work degree.
Despite working at Daley’s law firm and at another of the country’s most prestigious law firms, Swaby said she was still set on pursuing something in the medical field but, after her application for nursing school was denied, was encouraged to shift from nursing to do social work. According to Swaby, although she had no interest in law, there was an instinct that she tried to dismiss. However, she said that instinct became clearer after she had a dream in which she was talking to some law students who did not have the funds to study law and was encouraged. “That dream was my confirmation to pursue law,” she said.
She t hen applied to the University of London and studied for two years on her own with the help of an independent tutor. On completion, she successfully applied to the Norman Manley Law School in 2021.
Swaby, however, recalled that her educational journey was hard.
“It was rough because, when you leave school, you have assignments. You are tired, you go home you have a child. I remember one of the days my son says to me ‘Mommy, you love you books more than me’’ and he says all I talk about is assignments.
“It was heartbreaking and I had to assure him that I was doing this so that life can be better for us,” she said.
TOWER OF STRENGTH
But, at the same time, Swaby said, her son was not only one of her biggest supporters but a tower of strength.
“There were days when I reach home and me tired and drop asleep and just can’t bother and he would come and wake me up and say, ‘Mommy, go study’,” she proudly recalled while adding that he would sometimes keep her company while she was studying.
She also recalled one particular day when she had an exam and experienced a mind block and her son called and told her that he was praying for her.
Going to law school was especially challenging, as she had to juggle school while managing a full-time job and balancing motherhood with it.
During that period, she was also going through a divorce and experiencing serious financial challenges.
There were days when Swaby felt she could not go forward, but her son kept her motivated. She was also tired of struggling.
“Every energy drink you can think of, I’ve had. I literally drenched my body with energy drinks,” she said.
There were also days when she would be driving and falling asleep at the steering wheel and had to pull into a gas station to nap.
“I had to stop by the roadside in Central Village and sleep with my little baby in the car. If I had driven, I know I wouldn’t have made it home.
“Honestly, I can’t tell you how I didn’t crash, the amount of time I literally doze off,” she said, noting that this has been one of her testimonies in church.
Looking back on her life and what she has managed to achieve, Swaby said, “Sometimes in life, you need to believe in people and give them a chance.”
For her, that chance came when Daley offered her a job although she had no experience.
To persons who are struggling, she said, “You have to want a change for yourself, and that change is not going to come overnight. You are going to have to work hard, make some sacrifices, and you going to have to persevere.
“Sometimes you just need to step out in faith, be the change that you want to see in your life. A nuff time me go to me bed and me no eat, JPS (Jamaica Public Service) cut off me light ‘cause me juggle me bill and me a pay school fees. It is going to take sacrifice, but it is possible,” she added.