Against the odds
An aspiring solicitor has gone viral on LinkedIn after sharing her remarkable journey from life in care to graduating with a law degree.
Harpreet Powar has shared her experience of seven school transfers, six foster placements, and 13 years in the care system before graduating from the University of Birmingham last week.
“Since a young child in care, I was led to believe that I was not destined for fortunate outcomes as I was often advised to be ‘realistic’ about my career-related ambitions,” she wrote in a LinkedIn post that has attracted nearly 5,000 likes and hundreds of comments. “Sadly, this is no surprise for a child in care as their potential is often dismissed on the basis of their upbringing.”
“At an early age, law became my vocation as I consistently advocated for my best interests”, she continued, noting how the skills she has picked up whilst in the care system have set her up for a successful legal career.
Having stated the importance of clients feeling represented by lawyers who have been in care, Powar finished off her post by adding that she is “proud to join the 6% of care leavers who pursue further education and to follow my passion and purpose to break stereotypes and seek justice for children in care.”
Now a law graduate, Powar works as a legal secretary at a family law firm, and has aspirations to progress on to a trainee solicitor position in the same field.
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