“Many people are realizing the importance of having a bar and a judiciary that reflect the diverse faces of Canadians,” says Shailaja Nadarajah, Law’21. “It’s really important to give racialized students, many of whom are first-generation law students, a sense of community and access to resources that will help them succeed both in law school and when they begin to enter the job market.” For outstanding contributions to promote such access, she and Rono Khan, Law’20, have received Student Recognition Awards from the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto. 

“I believe the first step to increase Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) representation in the legal profession, particularly in senior and management positions of organizations and law firms, is solidarity within and between BIPOC organizations,” says Khan. “We need to leverage our skills and connections to ensure that the composition of law firms and legal groups, including senior counsel, accurately reflects the diversity of Canada.”  

Leading the Queen’s South Asian Law Students’ Association (SALSA) played a key role in Khan’s and Nadarajah’s selection for their awards. In 2019-20, Khan, along with his SALSA co-President and executive team revived what had been a dormant club. “We wanted to connect South Asian law students and amplify our voices,” he says. 

Their major event was a five-person panel of racialized lawyers who educated students about different legal career pathways and on ways to navigate challenges faced by racialized lawyers. “To increase diversity and representation for the event, we collaborated with the Queen’s Asian Law Students’ Association and recruited panelists from a variety of practice areas and backgrounds,” Khan recalls. The event was a major success and SALSA won the 2020 Professional Excellence Award from the Law Students’ Society (LSS).  

Nadarajah helped plan and moderated that event as the club’s VP-Finance before succeeding Khan as a co-President this year. “My goal is to help build community with the South Asian and West Indian students at Queen’s Law despite us not all being in the same city,” she says. “A few weeks ago, we had a Speed Networking event, which combined the format of speed dating with the Zoom platform to allow students to mingle and meet other students.”

Extending his outreach to help empower the Bengali community at Queen’s University, Khan also joined the Queen’s Bangladeshi Students Association (QBSA) executive team. “I organized events that celebrated Bengali culture and traditions and facilitated discussions surrounding issues faced by the South Asian diaspora in Canada,” he says. “These events included an International Mother Language Day celebration, which had over 200 attendees and 15 song and dance performances to music in different languages, and a panel event on the significance of having a dual identity as both a South Asian and a Canadian.” 

For Nadarajah, diversity and inclusion continue to play an important role in shaping her as a law student. “Towards the end of my first year, my interest in gender inclusivity pushed me to fight for a change to the LSS’s executive positions of Male and Female Athletic Representatives,” she recalls. “I proposed a change to make the positions both gender-inclusive, by using non-binary titles, and inclusive to both physical and mental well-being. The changes were passed, and the title of ‘Wellness Coordinator’ replaced that which had existed previously.” 

Receiving and providing mentorship is also important to both award recipients. “I will be the first lawyer in my immediate and extended family, and I did not know any lawyers prior to starting law school,” says Khan, who is now articling with Hicks Morley in Toronto. “To make up for my lack of connections, I did over 40 coffee chats and informational interviews in preparation for the 2L formal recruit alone, and ultimately landed a job because of that preparation. 

“I greatly appreciated the guidance I received from my peer mentors and look for any opportunities to pay it forward,” Khan continues. “It is very fulfilling to know that I shed light on the recruitment and job search process for my mentees and made them feel more comfortable with it. The feeling is even more rewarding when they end up landing a job.” 

Crediting a number of people for helping Nadarajah get to where she is today, she says, “I had a lot of support in 1L when I had no idea what a ‘principle of fundamental justice’ was and a lot of help in 2L when I was beginning to look for summer positions. For me, what’s most rewarding is to be able to pay it forward and help students who are in the position I was in not too long ago. The thing I love most about Queen’s Law is the sense of community. Especially in a year where not everyone is in the same city or able to meet in person to make connections, it’s really important to me to make sure 1Ls know that Queen’s is a place where they will always be supported.” 

“This philosophy of paying it forward runs through the entirety of the Queen’s Law community and it is the reason why I proudly call myself a Queen’s Law alum,” says Khan. Continuing his community involvement as a Student Liaison for the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto, he is working on developing mentorship activities and student outreach events in collaboration with SALSA chapters across Ontario. “Our focus is on sponsorship,” he says. “In addition to making connections, I want lawyers to advocate for their mentees and assist them in securing employment where possible. The goal is to establish long-term relationships that go beyond a one-off informational ‘coffee chat’.”

As for current and future SALSA members at Queen’s, Khan praises his successors for continuing the legacy. “The current executive team, led by Shailaja and her co-President Farrah Kudus (Law’21), has done an excellent job of carrying the torch and building on the club’s foundation,” he says. “This brings me a lot of joy and gives me hope about the future of the club and South Asian community at Queen’s Law.”  

By Lisa Graham