Since my first year at Queen’s University, on my desk sits a Queen’s Law pen that my Aunt Kate passed on to me. She was a Queen’s Law graduate and supports my passion of being a lawyer after my Undergraduate degree. The object is quite small and is not something that I use to write with. I admire it in its’ case and place it on every new desk where most my work will be completed and my stress will be endured. It is shiny and silver, engraved with “Queen’s Law” in very delicate calligraphy. My relationship to this pen is a reminder of my relationship to my family and what family means to me. The pen embodies all the hard work and dedication that my aunt, and other relatives who are lawyers including my uncle, cousins, grandfather and great-grandfather, put in to achieve their goal of being successful lawyers. It is also a symbol of support. Its specific placement in my room holds a very powerful position because when I sit down to do my work, I look at the pen and it motivates me. I consider it to have special powers because it is a reminder of hope, a concept that many people may not be fortunate enough to believe in or be reminded of when times are tough. When due dates are coming faster than I anticipated and assignments seem unbearable, perseverance and optimism allow me to accomplish the goal I set out to do in the first place. That goal is to become a lawyer one day and pass on the pen.
Contributor Biography: Sarah Gagne
My name is Sarah Gagne and I am a student at Queen’s University from Toronto, Ontario. I am currently in my third-year at Queen’s working toward my Bachelor of Honours Degree in Sociology. Within sociology my areas of interest are law, criminology and juvenile delinquency.
Queen’s University has been an important part of my life and others. My two older brothers, Eric and James, were graduates of Queen’s. My cousin Katie, my Uncle Mike and my Aunt Kate were also graduates of Queen’s Law. The Queen’s community is very special and I am fortunate to be apart of it at this stage of my life.