Kamille Adair Morgan, 26, has a relentless passion for life, for family, and for dazzling academic accomplishments. She is Jamaica’s Rhodes Scholar for 2012, and the St. Andrew native recently topped her class in her masters program in Law at the University of Oxford, winning the Winter Williams Prize for having attained the highest mark in International Economic Law. Adair Morgan has completed both her Bachelor of Civil Law and her Master of Philosophy in Law at Oxford with distinctions, and she currently lives in Oxford where she is working towards her Doctor of Philosophy degree in Law.
Kamille is no stranger to success. She was the Jamaica Scholar (Girls) for 2006 from Ardenne High School where she served as head girl, and that scholarship took her to the University of the West Indies Faculty of Law from where she graduated with first classhonours. Later, at Norman Manley Law School in 2011, she graduated top of class and as valedictorian. In between the rigors of her demanding studies, Kamille has managed to juggle a vibrant family life. She got married to Jamaican attorney-at-law Yushaine Morgan, and seven months ago she gave birth to her first child, a son, who she dutifully adores. Kamille is now in Jamaica for the Christmas holidays and I caught up with her to get a glimpse of her fascinating world.
Dave Rodney: Kamille, where in Jamaica were you born?
Kamille Adair Morgan: I was born at the UHWI in St. Andrew, Jamaica
DR: What was your first school?
KM: I attended Mavisville Preparatory School. I credit a lot of what I’ve accomplished to the solid foundation I received there. From that stage my potential was identified and encouraged. I did everything from Track and Field, to Debating, to Netball, to Brownies. I also served as Head Girl in my final year at Mavisville.
DR: Tell me about the Ardenne years, what subjects did you study at sixth form?
KM: Anyone who knows me also knows that I am quite spirited in my love for and support of Ardenne. Attending Ardenne was sort of a family tradition. Four of my cousins and my older sister attended before me, and my younger sister after me. I value greatly the balance I was able to achieve at Ardenne because of the high standard of academic excellence coupled with a varied co-curricular programme that every student was encouraged to take full advantage of.
In sixth form I did Communication Studies, History, Biology, Accounting and Spanish.
DR: Was there something in particular that drove you to the field of law?
KM: My mother would always say I’d be a lawyer because I spoke and argued too much. But what really drove me to law was a realisation I came to while working on my project on women enfranchisement in Afghanistan for my Communication Studies Internal Assessment in my first year of sixth form at Ardenne. That realisation was that Law is not just about out-speaking or out-witting your opponent, but that it is a tool for correcting social inequalities and, more generally, solving problems. I was excited to become involved with that.
DR: What was the Cave Hill experience like for you, perhaps living away from home for the first time?
KM: It was my first time living away from home, and although it was challenging, it is an experience I would not trade for anything. It was through that experience that I came to understand my identity as a Caribbean national and a world citizen. Beyond that, it was a period of immense self-growth and self-actualisation. I tried my hand at so many things I thought I’d never do, like play football (not very well) for example.
DR: At Oxford, you first pursued the Bachelor of Civil Law, one of the most highly regarded masters programs in Law in the world. How challenging and how rewarding was that course for you?
KM: The BCL was undoubtedly my most challenging academic pursuit. It had less to do with the volume of work I had to cover in the 9-month span of the course, and more with the extremely high level of thought and analysis required to successfully complete it. It was the first course in Law I did where I found myself more in thought than I was reading and assimilating the material I read. There were moments of self-doubt and there were tears, but there were also moments of affirmation and encouragement. I am certainly a better lawyer, a better thinker, having pursued that course. Completing the BCL with Distinction, and being awarded the Winter Williams Prize for the best performance in International Economic Law, was certainly icing on the cake.
DR: You then went on to complete a Master of Philosophy in Law, with distinction, in a current and global hot-button issue- the use of force, self-defense and attacks by non-state/ terrorist actors. What triggered your interest in this area?
KM: My interest in this area was sparked when I participated in the Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in 2011 as a part of the team representing the Norman Manley Law School and Jamaica. I had the responsibility of arguing part of a fictional case before the International Court of Justice on those very issues. I’ve been enraptured by that area of Public International Law ever since. The fact that it is a real and active issue all across the globe has definitely contributed to maintaining my interest.
DR: Are you continuing your work in this fascinating and topical field?
KM: I am currently working toward enlarging my MPhil thesis for my doctoral studies, yes.
DR: To what do you attribute your dazzling academic successes?
KM: I am confident that all I have been able to achieve I owe to God. My faith has undoubtedly played the greatest part in my success; pursuing the highest standard in my faith has brought with it excellence in other areas of life. My successes are also a product of the investments that so many others have made in me. I have parents who encouraged and sacrificed and laboured alongside me, but who also disciplined and set boundaries where necessary. I have benefited from the instruction and counsel of so many excellent teachers throughout my education. I have also taken time to accept myself for who I am; learning to minimise my weaknesses and maximise my strengths. Importantly, I have always tried to make excellence my hallmark, to approach every task I set my hand to with tenacity and diligence and to never do less than I am able to do.
DR: You are always top of class wherever you go with apparent ease. Have there ever been areas of serious challenge for you?
KM: Perhaps a run through of my CV would give the impression of ease, but it is only a reflection of the end result. I’ve certainly found transitioning between each stage of my studies to be somewhat of a challenge. I believe, though, that it has been the positive habits of diligence and self-discipline developed very early in my academic life that have seen me through the challenges I have faced and minimised others that could have been more serious.
DR: Outside of academics, what are your areas of interest?
KM:I have been quite involved in Church ministries and outreach, particularly to children and teens as a Sunday School teacher and camp counsellor. During my time in Oxford I have played Netball, been involved with the Black Association of Rhodes Scholars and have done pro bono work under the auspices of Oxford Pro Bono Publico for the use of the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Arbitrary Detention. I have also been, for the past three years, the International (Final) Rounds Coordinator for the Price Moot Court Competition put on by the Programme in Comparative Media Law and Policy at the University of Oxford. I am also quite a big Track and Field enthusiast.
DR: How have you managed to achieve that delicate balance of gaining distinctions and winning academic prizes while being a happily married wife and a devoted mother to your son?
KM: To be honest, it is still very much a work in progress and sometimes a struggle. I believe, though, that the key for me has been coming to the realisation that I function optimally when each aspect of my person is given due attention, which prompts me not to neglect any aspect of my life. It’s also been quite fulfilling for me not only to invest in myself through academic pursuits but also to add to the life of my husband, and now my son, as best I can.
DR: Oxford is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. How has the experience there altered or impacted your vision of the world?
KM: It has certainly made me more aware of the interconnectedness of the world in which we live, which has given me a greater appreciation for just how impactful my individual actions and contributions can be. It has prompted me to be more concerned about and affected by incidents that occur across the globe, whether in Syria, Nigeria or France. The world is more diverse and complex than I first imagined but there is also commonality in the struggles individual countries and peoples face.
DR: What are your long-term career goals?
KM: I am hoping to become engaged in the practice of Public International Law, whether in the public sector or with an international organisation. I also enjoyed my years as a Tutor in the Faculty of Law at UWI Mona, so it would be good to combine practice with some academic work.
News Credit: jamaicans.com | Read it here