From a tough inner-city community to a law school graduation like no other, Julian Redwood-Johnson’s journey is nothing short of extraordinary. Growing up as the 12th of 13 siblings in Waterhouse, St Andrew, Redwood-Johnson’s dream of becoming a lawyer seemed impossible, surrounded by obstacles and scarce resources.
“Growing up, we were always surrounded by some level of violence, but luckily, we had our father, who was very influential over all lives and kind of sheltered us from what was going on,” Redwood-Johnson explained, adding that there were also a great deal of financial challenges, but education was always a priority.
“We couldn’t miss school, we were a family that, no matter what — lunch money, no lunch money; bus fare, no bus fare — we had to be in school,” Redwood-Johnson said.
She also told THE WEEKEND STAR that after graduating from high school, her parents could not afford to assist her with her tertiary education, so she started working and saving towards her dream of becoming a university graduate.
Then in 1994, she enrolled at the former College of Arts, Science and Technology, now the University of Technology (UTech), where she read for a diploma in science in computer studies. She later returned to the university in 2006 and upgraded the certification to a bachelor of science degree. After graduating from UTech, she taught at a high school for two years, and when she married the love of her life, Philip Johnson, the couple started Solid Base Preparatory and Kindergarten, which has been in operation for about 20 years.
Still, even with these achievements, Redwood-Johnson’s ambition to study law did not die. And, at 45 years old, with unwavering determination, she made a life-changing decision to return to school and pursue her long-awaited dream of becoming a lawyer. But the best part? She wasn’t on this journey alone — her first-born daughter, 24-year-old Danielle Johnson, was on a similar mission alongside her.
In 2019, after graduating from Ardenne High School, which her mother also attended, Danielle and her mother both started attending the Faculty of Law, The University of the West Indies (UWI), where they earned their Bachelor of Laws. Then in 2022, they started their studies at the Norman Manley Law School. Last Saturday, the proud mother-daughter duo celebrated yet another extraordinary achievement by graduating together with their Legal Education Certificate.
“It’s unfathomable, because they did it in alphabetical order, so when her name was called and they were cheering for her, I was just a proud mother cheering for her. Then a couple of seconds after, I heard ‘Redwood-Johnson’, and they were just cheering for me. It was such a surreal moment,” Redwood-Johnson recounted.
“It felt really good because starting this journey together was unexpected, and through COVID and with all the challenges we had with online school. Then going back to face- to-face [classes] and going through Norman Manley [Law School] had a host of challenges on its own. It really felt good knowing that I had that support system with me…and we made it,” added Danielle.
Although it was not planned for them to attend university together, initially, Redwood-Johnson, who also has a 20-year-old special-needs son, had applied to The UWI before her daughter and expected her to attend another school.
“I applied just because I had really nothing at that time to do. I had done business, I had raised my children, so there was nothing much more to do. And then, you know, you learn about self-actualisation and I said, ‘You know what? I think I’m just going to go after it,'” Redwood-Johnson explained.
Danielle, meanwhile, applied to the University of Toronto in Canada. She told THE WEEKEND STAR that though her mother preferred if she studied in Toronto, she opted for The UWI because of convenience.
“I would have had to do a first degree [in Toronto] before I got into law school, and it was more costly. So it made more sense to do my law degree here,” Danielle said. However, when Redwood-Johnson learnt about her daughter’s decision, she considered deferring for a semester so Danielle could start before her and not feel awkward. But Danielle objected, and encouraged her not to delay her dream any longer. So they started their classes together.
“When we were at the law faculty, we had the same lectures and we never sat together. She was always on the right side of the lecture theatre with her friends in her age group, and I was on the left side with my friends of my age group,” Redwood-Johnson said.
Danielle confessed that during the time they studied together, “I used to avoid her all the time.”
“Most of the time she would sit at one end of the lecture theatre and I would sit at the other end, and we would pretend to not know each other, until mi need money or mi need her notes,” Danielle said, as she burst into laughter.
She explained that this was not because she was ashamed of her mother, but they had a mutual understanding and respectfully gave each other their space.
“I was the one who used to hide from her, and she always used to joke about it,” Redwood-Johnson said. At home, though, things were different.
“It was good journey for us … we could talk about all the courses we were doing, and we always had something to discuss, which was really good,” said Redwood-Johnson. After graduating The UWI and starting Norman Manley, the two started studying together and developed an even stronger bond.
With practising certificates in hand, the mother-daughter duo eagerly anticipate being called to the Bar. Danielle is interested in probate law and her mother’s interest is criminal law. They continue to support and cheer for each other.
Source: Jamaica Star
