Ramisa Raya
WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO STUDY LAW?
I want more human laws. Something compassionate and understanding of the individual human circumstances wherein you don't have to experience something, but understand that other people have those experiences and that these experiences are legally validated somewhere in the law.
I know that sounds simplistic and I understand that there are so many balances and checks: there's efficiency, public security, national security and so much more. I know that Parliament's doing their best to try and balance all these factors together, and I do appreciate the progress. So I do respect the development, but I think we have to go a bit more in-depth and look at the human circumstances. I think the law needs to allow for more complex individual-based circumstances.
I witnessed firsthand the injustices that people can face when they're not aware of the law or their rights, and I wanted to be someone who could see through that lens. The law is a privilege that not everyone can or even has the opportunity to understand. So I want to learn about the law so that I can have a skillset to empower others.
The law should exist to support far more people. I think it should always be in favour of the individual. I love criminal law in that regard, it has principles such as beyond a reasonable doubt, the presumption of innocence, and there's so much development for fairness and justice.
I am really interested in the justice field: law or jurisprudence. I love the advocacy aspect. I love that some rules are ingrained in criminal law to serve justice essentially. Rules such as evidence can be deemed inadmissible because it's unfair to the accused, that sort of thing. I love that there are so many protocols out there to ensure fairness and that the Australian criminal law system does an amazing job of trying to develop itself in response to sociological understandings as time evolves.
That's something that you will be hard-pressed to see in other areas of law. For example, I know that immigration laws we have are based on the 1951 UN Refugee Convention, but it doesn't include environmental refugees as a category of refugee, even though we live in a time where climate change is disrupting society. We’re seeing it in New South Wales with bushfires that are rapidly happening and are so detrimental to people. Sooner or later, some Pacific Islands may even disappear, and we don’t also have refugee provisions for environmental refugees.
I feel like I have so much to get through before I graduate. But I feel like I'm kind of living in the moment with all these justice and criminal law aspirations. I’ll be a step closer to my legal career dreams after I finish up all of my exams and assignments but to be honest I’m probably going to jump straight into masters or something after.
VOLUNTEERING JOURNEY
I wanted to become a behavioral psychologist. Law wasn't on my radar back then. So I had started volunteering with this website that’s like an online platform where you can basically volunteer as a listener and then strangers from all over the world on the internet type to you, they talk about their issues to you, and you can be a supportive ear to listen.
I just really love that whole aspect of connecting with someone through narratives and their stories. So I loved that and when I saw Humans of QUT recruiting, I knew that this was an opportunity that is directly linked to my interests. So I got involved with the group, and I loved the experience.
On another level, I've been a huge fan of Humans of New York for a very long time. I think my best friend Paris at that time had the actual book from Humans of New York. We were just that passionate about it. We love the stories and we love the connection. There's an ethereal quality to something that underlines every human being, and I think the Humans of NY and Humans of QUT projects capture that through the stories that they share from the people they interview.
The projects have really helped me connect with people in ways where I can see myself helping other people by simply talking to them. Because I know that if I can approach any stranger out there and find common ground with them, then all these people that I haven't met or talked to yet; I know that I'll find something with them as well.
Asides for Humans of QUT, I volunteer a lot, but I think I have moved towards more law firm volunteering. I’m also involved with some book clubs and East-West volunteering at Global Café. I love all these experiences and more at uni or anywhere else. Anything that's human connection or food, I'm there essentially.
WHAT IS YOUR LIFE GOAL?
I read this small fable about a boy who was out on a beach with his grandfather. The boy picked up a starfish that was drying out in the sun, and he put it near the water again.
The grandfather was like "oh, this is useless because there's so many starfishes in the ocean. There's no way you can make a difference."
The boy says "well, I made a difference for that one."
I think that's idealistic and that's a dose of idealism you always need in life when you're pursuing things that you want in order to make the world a better place. Change doesn't have to be rapid or revolutionary or systematic. It's not about systematically solving those problems. It's about making your own very, very small corner of the world a little bit better, and so for me, that's what has always been my own personal life goal.
I would be happy if I made a difference to one individual. Technically I don't have control over that. Like I could do my best, and if it has impact, impact will follow. I would be content if I did my best to help the individual as I'll be doing my best to make the whole world a better place starting with each person I meet and have a conversation with about how their day is going and if there's anything bothering them. What we need now more than ever is friendship and compassion for each human being out there.
It just feels so special when something or someone is a gift or a friend to you. You feel the gratitude, and it really lights up your life. Things will work out, I always remind myself. I wasn't as religious in my first year, so it was a progressive thing throughout my university journey, but I always knew that my definition of success is having a very strong moral code and adhering to that.
Things will work out, and because I'm religious, I believe that Allah will guide my way as well. I would tell first-year Ramisa that whatever life has for you or is written for you, it will happen. So it's okay if anyone is anxious or concerned. Whatever is your destiny, it will happen. But always remember to keep your friends and family close and do your best to make the world a better place for all.
Humans of Lawbry interview conducted by Gideon Caturla
This interview was conducted in the 2020 series of Humans of Lawbry.
Humans of Lawbry was created by Helen Driscoll in the 2015 Torts Illustrated.